Promote Shared Accountability
Promoting shared accountability involves establishing a culture where team members collectively own the success and failures of their products. It's about moving beyond individual accountability to a team-based approach where everyone feels responsible for the outcomes.
Goal
The goal is to improve product outcomes and tap into the intrinsic motivation of purpose, mastery and belonging. Shared accountability encourages open communication, mutual support, and a stronger sense of belonging and commitment within the team.
Context
90% of features fail to deliver the expected value. But it is really hard to diagnose where the problems lie because everyone, correctly, argues that they did their job correctly. The challenge is that we treated a design job, of trying to figure out a solution that customers want, as a delivery problem. Separating responsibility means that people focus on delivering the process instead of achieving the outcome. By empowering teams and promoting shared accountability, we can create a culture where everyone is responsible for the outcome, not just their part of the process.
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Empowered Teams | Teams have the authority to decide what features to build and how to build them. |
| Autonomous Teams | Teams are able to release their work without external dependencies. |
| OKRs | The high-level goals and product targets that the Stream Team is accountable for achieving. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Improved Product Outcomes | Features that deliver value to customers and meet business objectives. |
|
| Accountability without Empowerment: Holding team members accountable for outcomes without giving them the authority to make decisions. | Overdependence on Leaders: Relying too much on team leaders to drive accountability, rather than empowering the whole team to take ownership. |