From blaming and shaming, to personal ownership and mutual accountability

Background

The organisation was experiencing deteriorating performance, with people avoiding responsibility and refusing to take ownership for their results. Rapid changes in the company and increasing levels of uncertainty meant that job descriptions had become outdated. Team members had been experiencing role confusion, issues with poorly defined new roles, role ‘nausea’ (people getting sick and tired of the same old responsibilities), lack of motivation and no feeling of team accountability, altogether a pretty poisonous mix.

Solution

A two-day workshop was delivered to help the team learn about and experience the vital importance of clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and the challenges that arise in their absence. A facilitated conversation between the key stakeholders was able to clearly map out the different functions, highlighting the departments and roles that required urgent attention and increased responsibility. To support this process, the team was also trained in relevant communication skills, particularly how to avoid toxic communication (such as blame, defensiveness, and refusal to cooperate).

Impact

The team transformed from an atmosphere of blaming and criticizing, to a more positive atmosphere with new constructive ways of communicating. They learnt to enjoy brainstorming together and finding creative ways to resolve issues. They identified the shared challenges that required attention, and re-designed their entire role structure and governance rules, with clear responsibilities defined, consistent with their current needs. The result was a sense of renewed energy and drive, greater appreciation and positivity for their jobs and each other, and a sense of purpose to get the work done.