In an exclusive conversation with CXO Media and APAC Media, Preeti Mathur, Director – Culture & People Experience, Ensono believes that today, businesses seek to hire and retain talent with an ‘ownership mindset’—individuals who take full responsibility for delivering expected outcomes. To accomplish this, Mathur is of the view that one or more individuals may be assigned accountability for breaking down broader objectives into smaller, achievable goals.
What are the key differences between accountability and ownership in a corporate setting, and why do they matter for long-term success?
Both accountability and ownership play a pivotal role in meeting business objectives. As much as they complement each other, subtle nuances differentiate the two in many ways. While accountability is focused on achieving specific goals, ownership shows the ability to shoulder responsibilities end to end. Accountability is a subset of ownership.
Today, businesses are looking to hire and retain talent who understand and bring the ‘ownership mindset’ and are willing to take the end-to-end responsibility of delivering an expected outcome. To achieve this target, one or more individuals may be made accountable to break the larger goal into smaller achievable goals.
As a best practice here at Ensono, every employee is an owner and is encouraged to think like she/he is the CEO of the company. This thought instils the behaviour to think, ‘This is my responsibility, what can I do to ensure my business succeeds, how can I bring cost & process efficiency.’ Every employee now collectively works towards business success.
Long-term success is accomplished when both ownership and accountability prevail in actions. Ownership needs to be driven by every individual employee, irrespective of their level. Individuals demonstrating the ‘ownership mindset’ and driving clear accountability come across as more passionate and involved in ensuring the organization’s progress and success.
What psychological principles or behavioural science research (e.g., self-determination theory) support the idea that employees take more ownership when they feel autonomy and purpose in their roles?
Self-determination theory emphasizes three basic psychological needs, namely autonomy (i.e., engaging in a behaviour with a full sense of volition), competence (i.e., the experience of mastery and efficacy), and relatedness (i.e., the need to feel connected to other people in a meaningful way). The alignment of these three elements brings a sense of ownership leading to increasing motivational levels. Conversely, a drop in these psychological needs can have a thwarting impact leading to employee disengagement and adding to attrition in the long run.
At Ensono, as a practice, we encourage leaders and managers to create opportunities for individuals to enable them to own and feel responsible for delivering business expectations. Leaders believe in trusting their team members and validating outcomes. Ensono supports instilling an ownership mindset which improves performance across the organization.
It is observed that when employees are empowered, they own every assignment ensuring progressive CSATs and overall Gallup Engagement scores of the organization through client feedback, enhanced productivity and employee engagement.
How do leadership styles (transformational, servant, or agile leadership) influence an organization’s accountability culture?
Leadership style plays a fundamental role in shaping how an organization defines and enforces accountability. The more aligned the leader’s approach is with fostering an inclusive, transparent, accountable work environment, the more likely it is that employees feel empowered, take ownership and be responsible for their actions. This also encourages Innovation and Big picture-thinking at work. It is also seen that in such a work environment, employees think more innovatively in their daily workways, and accept their mistakes without any fear.
Research consistently shows that transparent and accountable leadership significantly boosts employee engagement. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences found that transparent communication and leadership can lead to a 20- 30 per cent increase in employee engagement. Another study by Industrial and Commercial Training highlighted that accountability, transparency, and inclusive leadership practice enhance engagement by up to 25 per cent.
What role does “leading by example” play in setting accountability standards at scale? Can you share real-world examples of leaders who embody this?
Leading by example is the foundation of establishing and maintaining accountability standards within an organization. Real-world examples which I can immediately think of in my present role, are the leaders of Ensono who lead by example in setting accountability standards through several key practices:
Transparent Communication: Leaders at Ensono prioritize open and honest communication, ensuring that expectations are clear and that employees understand their roles and responsibilities. This transparency helps establish a culture of accountability where everyone knows what is expected of them.
Commitment to Client Success: Ensono leaders demonstrate accountability by maintaining a strong focus on client outcomes. By prioritizing client needs and ensuring that their teams are aligned with these goals, leaders set a standard for accountability that permeates the organization.
Empowerment and Trust: Leaders at Ensono empower their teams by trusting them to make decisions and take ownership of their work. This empowerment fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability among employees, as they are given the autonomy to manage their tasks and projects.
Continuous Improvement: Ensono leaders encourage a culture of continuous improvement, where feedback is actively sought and used to enhance performance. By modelling a commitment to personal and professional growth, leaders set an example for employees to follow, reinforcing the importance of accountability in achieving excellence.
Recognition and Reward: Leaders at Ensono recognize and reward employees who demonstrate accountability and deliver exceptional results. This recognition not only motivates individuals but also reinforces the value of accountability across the organization. This is practised both at global and regional levels.
Ensono leaders embody the values and behaviours they expect from their teams. By demonstrating accountability in their actions and decisions, they set a powerful example for employees to emulate.
Apart from this, India’s history is rich with leaders who led by example, especially in terms of accountability. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi was a champion of personal responsibility. He always held himself accountable for his actions and decisions, making personal sacrifices for the greater good of the country’s independence. On the other hand, globally if we consider, Barack Obama has set a high standard for accountability. Throughout his presidency, Obama acknowledged his administration’s shortcomings and took correct measures. Passing the Affordable Care Act during his presidency showcased his accountability to common people’s well-being.
How can executives and HR leaders align incentives, recognition, and rewards to encourage accountability at all levels?
Awards and recognition foster an accountable culture in an organisation by reinforcing desired behaviours and setting clear expectations to employees at all levels.
Performance-Based Incentives: Executives and leaders tie incentives to performance metrics that reflect accountability and achievement of business goals. This could involve bonuses, salary increases, or other financial rewards based on meeting or exceeding targets.
Recognition Programs: Implementation of recognition programs that highlight employees who demonstrate strong accountability. This can include awards, a public acknowledgement in meetings, or features in internal communications, which serve to motivate others. At Ensono we use our Elevate awards platform to recognize individuals and teams. To quote our CEO Jeff Von Deylen: ‘By recognizing our associates, we inspire excellence in each other and help make Ensono a great place to work— a place where we can Do Great Things for our clients and each other.’
Goal Alignment: By ensuring that individual and team goals are aligned with the company’s strategic objectives, can foster a sense of ownership and accountability. Employees understand how their work contributes to the broader mission, which can be reinforced through aligned incentives.
Feedback and Development: Providing regular feedback and opportunities for professional development can reinforce accountability.
Tailored Rewards: Customizing rewards to align with individual and team contributions can make employees feel valued and appreciated, reinforcing their commitment to accountability.
By employing these strategies, leaders can effectively align incentives, recognition, and rewards to promote a culture of accountability throughout the organization.
What are the biggest leadership mistakes that unintentionally kill ownership culture, and how can they be avoided?
Creating a culture of ownership within an organisation requires a collective effort both at leadership as well as operational levels. Fostering such culture within the organisation requires thoughtful, empathetic, and intentional leadership. Lack of clear expectations, micromanagement, and a lack of recognition can affect the ownership culture. Understanding what our people want from their careers is key, as their development is their future and if leaders are not taking time for those development conversations and helping put those into plans then employees will not feel invested.
How can middle managers be empowered to reinforce ownership within their teams, ensuring alignment across multiple layers of leadership?
Leaders at all levels play a pivotal role in reinforcing the ownership culture. The manager level is the bridge between strategic goals designed by senior leadership and the day-to-day execution of it at the team level.
Empowering managers to reinforce ownership and organizational alignment requires a combination of clear communication, autonomy, development, recognition and the right tools. Investing in these areas will enable these middle managers to drive the accountability culture across the organisation.
How do HR analytics and AI-powered tools help monitor and reinforce accountability culture?
I believe AI and HR Analytics are vital to fostering a strong culture of accountability within the organisation. These ground-breaking tools have enabled us to monitor performance and progress in a more transparent and data-driven way, by providing us with an understanding of how the organisation can support employees with growth and development opportunities. With predictive analytics, we can identify and address accountability issues much ahead of time before it turns out to be a severe challenge. These tools equip us to track and take effective measures to keep employees engaged, motivated, and aligned with organisational goals. I consider the AI and HR analytics tools to create a more fair, consistent, and proactive approach to foster an accountable culture within the organisation, enabling the growth of both the organisation and the individuals.
What are the long-term effects of a strong ownership culture on retention, innovation, and business growth? Any research-backed insights?
I consider that the long-term effects of a strong ownership culture on retention, innovation, and business growth lead to higher employee engagement, organisational resilience, and strategic
growth. A robust ownership culture shifts the thought process of how employees perceive their roles, their value within the organisation, and their commitment to its success.
At Ensono we foster a culture of ownership backed by a transparent work environment at all levels of the organisation. Since inception, we have established effective ways, namely cross-level communications, leadership development, Employee Value propositions, and culture of associate recognition both at global and regional levels; fostering an environment where our associates feel trusted and empowered. These have helped us to align our associates with the organization’s values and goals, driving higher performance, client satisfaction, and long-term success.
At the organisation level, we have made great progress in all 12 elements identified by Gallup that measure employee engagement in all four surveys undertaken so far. Gallup notes that each element has consistently been linked to better business outcomes. 91 per cent of our employees contributed to the last survey.
Apart from this, Ensono’s Associate Equity Program, and hybrid work policy are some of the best practices which we have adopted further to make our workplace where everyone thrives.
To conclude, a strong ownership culture impacts positively in retention, innovation, and growth of an organisation, fostering an environment of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
