Organization 21C: Someday All Organizations Will Lead This Way

What Will it Take to Get Two-Sided Accountability?

There's nothing complicated about establishing two-sided accountable relationships for people who are convinced the other person isn't going to unilaterally decide to drop out. Getting there, however, takes someone with muscle to stand up for the company by saying, “From now on we're going to have processes that ensure no one's needs are overlooked.” Why do we say stand up for the company? Because in a system of one-sided accountable relationships, where people feel the necessity to indulge in deception and denial in order to succeed, the company always loses out. Next, it's going to take consciousness-raising. People need to expect subjectivity and they need to learn about the bias that characterizes ...