Every organization, every team, needs an enforcer. The enforcer makes sure promises are kept, commitments are followed through on, and pledges and assurances are met. Without someone to play the role of enforcer, it is too easy for standards to drop, hot air to pass for purposeful action, and good intentions to take the place of desired results. Good enforcers tend to have high internal standards, powerful moral compasses, strong personalities, a passion for order, good communication skills, a deep sense of correctness, and a love of precision.
I was reminded of the importance of every organization’s need for an enforcer when reading about one of Michelle Obama’s roles in one of President Obama’s early campaigns. (New York Times Magazine, November 1, 2009.)
“’Michelle sometimes took on the role of enforcer. If a volunteer promised to gather 300 petition signatures, 299 did not work because 300 was the goal. You met the wrath of Michelle.’”
Accountability is vital to the success of any endeavor. If not assiduously maintained and reenforced, standards erode. The role of enforcer in success is often overlooked. It needs more respect and should be more widely adopted.
This is no different than having very centralized Command and Control (C2). And by that, I mean having a very top down hierarchial structure. Actually, what you describe here is the essence of C2 where authority, responsibility, and decision making rests with one and only one person. No delegation. No empowerment. No ability to make decisions at the lower levels of the organization.
Any decision making authority at lower levels is stripped, and ultimately, creativity and drive is eroded until non existent. While I believe every organization needs some sort of C2 process to stave off chaos (some more formal than others), it is those organizations that implement a decentralized form of C2 that are most successful.
In a decentralized C2 environment, authority, responsibility, and accountability are spread out among the different layers of the organization allowing everyone to be a part owner in its successes and failures. And I agree, accountability in its truest sense is critical. In order for people to be accountable though, they must bare the responsibility of actions, outcomes, and decisions. But in order to hold that responsibility, they must have the authority delegated to them to make the appropriate decisions and take the necessary actions to bring about a desired outcome. Until then, true accountability cannot exist.
Authority –> Respsonsibility –> Accountability