Susan Sall, MHA University of California-San Francisco

Using Accountability to Create Sustainability

Welcome

Tired of Being Milktoast?

Welcome

No Slack for SlackersStand up to underperforming workers despite threats of retaliation claims.

Are your waste company's hiring,transfer, demotion and firingpolicies paralyzed by fear? Areyou condoning bad performance, badattitudes and bad behavior by employeesbecause you're worried about beingsued for retaliation? Join the crowd.

(Shanoff, 2009)

• Rationale• Case study

• The Plan• The Problems• The Results

• Concepts & Mitigation

Agenda

Definitionac·count·abil·i·tyFunction: noun Date: 1794The quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions <public officials lacking accountability>

-Miriam Webster Dictionary

-OR-

The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; the obligation to bear the consequences for failure to perform as expected. «The awful idea of accountability.» R. Hall. -Answers.com

Two Scenarios• Ignore the issues

• Emotional cost- ongoing• Expense- others doing work, but paying the ineffective • Problems retaining good employees:

• Cost of hiring/training new person• Operational issues during vacancy

• Create accountability• Emotional cost- limited • Get value from every employee• Develop culture where non-productive de-select• If ineffective employees don’t stay:

• Cost of hiring/training new person• Operational issues during vacancy

RationaleWhy take on the HR problems everyone else works around?

1. Gained energy to deal with true exceptions and challenges

2. Gained respect for leadership by showing commitment to the organization and individual

3. Reduced stress levels for performing employees4. Stop giving paychecks to those who aren’t

doing the work.

• Emotional outbursts• Defensiveness• Blame being placed• Attacking the work of others• Avoidance of certain employees

Why Accountability in this case

• Manager position vacant 6 months

Case Study-The Known

• Finance manager vacant 12 months

• New department chair

• All the ‘normal’ HR, finance, operations issues

• Some fairly significant HR issues

• Financial clean up needed

• Major budget cuts and expenses• Lack of written processes• New purchasing system• Most of first year spent hiring key

personnel

Case Study-The Unknown

David Julius, PhDDepartment Chair

Susan Sall, MHAManager

NeuroscienceGraduate ProgramEducation

Curriculum Coordinator

Faculty Assistant.5 FTE

Faculty Assistant

Finance Manager

Sr. Financial Analyst

Program Administrator

Admin Assistant

Academic HR Analyst

Purchasing

Financial AnalystIT Coordinator

Central Administration Faculty Support

Pre-award Analyst

Curriculum Asst .5 FTE

Staff HR Analyst

Facilities AnalystPurchasing Asst.

16 FTE

Organizational Chart Before

16 FTE11.75 FTEreduction: 4.25 FTE or 27%

Organizational Chart After

David Julius, PhDDepartment Chair

Susan Sall, MHAManager

NeuroscienceGraduate ProgramEducation

Curriculum CoordinatorFaculty Assistant

Faculty Assistant.5 FTE

Finance Manager

Financial & Pre-award Analyst

Program Administrator

Admin Assistant

Academic HR Analyst

Purchasing

Financial Analyst

IT Coordinator.6 FTE

Faculty Assistant.65 FTE

Central Administration Faculty Support

More: • accountability• supportive• concern for quality

improvement• improved

communication• recognition

Less: • respect for manager • clear responsibilities

Staff SurveyCampus-wide survey

2006 compared to 2008:

Staff Survey

•There was general improvement, however, scores lag slightly below campus average for most areas.

•Accountability and recognition of employees had slightly higher scores than campus average.

• Internal questionnaire for current staff

and faculty

• Retrospective to ‘before’ and ‘after’ the new manager

• Participation Rates:• 10 out of 18 staff, 56%• 9 out of 16 faculty, 56%

Survey- Departmental

• Responses typically “about the same”• Financial health rated ‘worse’, ‘much worse’• Effectiveness of roles, communication,

expertise of staff were ‘better’• Sample of Comments:

• “Manager makes decisions without getting buy-in”

• “Things moving in the right direction”• HR and Finance managers feel like there is more

accountability, but more work still to do.

Survey- Staff Feedback

Faculty Survey

Example of summarized data: two specific questions regarding accountability

much about muchworse worse the same better better

The Plan1. Hiring Practices

• Clear job expectations, current job descriptions

• Solid interviewing process, check references(!)

2. Evaluations & Coaching• Provide training/refreshers• Provide balanced feedback• Meet regularly • Address behavior issues

The Plan- part 23. Policies and Procedures

• Turnaround standards• Document how processes or problems were

resolved- online manuals/references

4. Reporting Structure and Roles• Clear and available organizational charts

5. Data and Reports• Find ways to quantify progress- use

institutional as well as internal data

Problems

• Get by until staff are in vacant positions• Start repairing ineffective relationships• Quickly get up to speed on historical info• Develop trusting relationships• Balance all this with getting all the other

work done!

Need to figure out how to:

More Problems

•Discipline issues•Resignations•Claims filed•Low morale

More Problems

•Discipline issues•Resignations•Claims filed•Low morale

Remind me why accountability is a

good idea?

• Emotional outbursts• Defensiveness• Blame being placed• Attacking the work of others• Avoidance of certain employees

Why Accountability?

The Results

What have I gotten for my efforts?

• Really capable staff

The Results

What have I gotten for my efforts?

• Really capable staff

The Results

What have I gotten for my efforts?

• Work is getting done

• Really capable staff

The Results

What have I gotten for my efforts?

• Work is getting done• Better, more open communication

• Really capable staff

The Results

What have I gotten for my efforts?

• Work is getting done• Better, more open communication• Relaxed interactions

Appearance of calm

• Relaxed face• Quiet body

Provide support without removing responsibility• “How do you plan to work it out with them”• “I’m confident in your ability to find a solution”• “This is a lot like the problem you solved last week”• “Let me know how you work it out”

Active listening• Eye contact• Repeat back your understanding• Avoid interruptions

Key Concepts- Avoid Drama

Key Concepts- Avoid Drama

• Pre-decisional vs. Post-decisional • Defensive Bolstering• Boomerang Effect • Pressure to Justify

• Use of irrelevant information- handy for justification.

• Easy to justify answers chosen, even if not as good.

Key Concepts- Decision Making

(Lerner & Tetlock, 1999)

Trust and accountability can act as substitutes

• Less known/trusted, more measures of accountability

• More known/trusted, less measures of accountability

Key Concepts- Trust

(Ammeter et al. 2004 and Hall 2004)

Trust and accountability can act as substitutes

• Less known/trusted, more measures of accountability

• More known/trusted, less measures of accountability

Key Concepts- Trust

(Ammeter et al. 2004 and Hall 2004)

Too much accountability = too much cost• Find the point where minimum measures of

accountability balance with positive performance.

• If manager’s opinion known, more likely to develop plans to fit.

• If manager’s opinion unknown, more likely to develop compromise or easy to justify answer.

Key Concepts- Bias

(Lerner & Tetlock, 1999)

Key Concepts- Bias

• Bolster your support network

• Have a plan, not driven by emotions

• Research policies before acting

• Document situations, + and -

Mitigation Techniques

•Discipline last to reduce claims•Communication- didn’t understand •Training- didn’t know•Discipline- didn’t perform (personal

choice)

•Allow those struggling to succeed elsewhere

Mitigation Techniques- 2

Example 1: Right People & Left the Drama

Improvisations

Employee Aggressive: • Employee for 14 years, knows all rules• Confusion on paperwork• Upset with HR & several other staff who

had messed things up in the past• Want the manager to step in

Example 2: Bias Ender

Improvisations

Employee Unsure: • In position less than a year• Academic medical center ways are foreign• Provide IT support for a large department• Asked to analyze and justify manager’s strong desire

to significantly expand existing backup hardware• Initial analysis clearly shows other options much more

cost effective, need to let the manager know.

Sustainable work environment with:• Energy to deal with true exceptions and

challenges

• Respect for leadership in return for showing commitment to the organization and individual

• Reduced stress levels for performing employees

• Reduced money being invested in those who aren’t doing the work.

The Benefits of Accountability

References

• Ammeter et al, Human Resource Management Review 14 (2004) 47–65

• Hall et al, The Leadership Quarterly 15 (2004) 515–536

• Lerner & Tetlock, Psychological Bulletin (1999) Vol. 125, No. 2, 255-275

• Shanoff, WasteAge.com, January 2009