In the last few weeks I’ve been trying to get a clear definition of accountability in management.  You would be surprised how difficult it is to get consensus. 

There’s the obvious one “You do what you have said you are going to do”.  Obvious, but what if something comes along that’s a higher priority, what if the boss over-rides your accountability?  What if not many people want you to do what you said you are going to do?

There was a sign on the desk of President Truman that read “The buck stops here”.

On January 10, 2019, 19 days into a federal government shutdown, a reporter asked President Donald Trump if "the buck stops with you over this shutdown." Trump responded with "The buck stops with everybody."

Now, you can read this (and many will) as Trump simply failing to take responsibility for anything.  But in a way he’s right.  In the 71 years since Truman was President the world has become increasingly complex.  The tidy, black and white world of 1945 has become so extraordinarily complex that it is very hard to define who is accountable for anything. Look at any investigation into a complex problem and ask who is really responsible

There’s a recent book by Dan Davies, “The Unaccountability Machine” that makes the point well.  Read it if you can.  He charts the rise of what he calls “the accountability sink”, regulations, laws, administrative complexities, machines that all make understanding who is accountable almost impossible and leads to that outcome we are all so familiar with “I understand your problem, I’d like to help you, but the system won’t let me.”

How do we get back to a point where people feel accountable for their actions?  How do we get back to a point where organisations let them be?