Page Title

Accountability

September 23, 2008

From: London, M., & London, M. (2007). First-time leaders of small groups: how to create high-performing committees, task forces, clubs, and boards. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Accountability is being held responsible for one's actions. Responsibility implies there is a consequence, that is, a reward for meeting obligations and punishment (or absence of reward) for failing to meet them. Accountability works because people care about the outcome, and they want others to know they are reliable. There are four necessary ingredients for holding people accountable:

1. Establishing clear expectations
2. Preparing people to meet those expectations with needed training and support
3. Monitoring performance, and
4. Attaching consequences to the results (Baumeister, 1982). (London & London, 2007, p. 186)

First-Time Leaders of Small Groups is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center. To borrow this resource or any other resource, please go to the resource search page http://164.107.48.88/winnebago/index.asp?lib

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Created: 2008-12-05, Updated: 2009-01-08