working in an

ARO
culture

3 domains

PERSONAL
ACCOUNTABILITY

MUTUAL
RESPONSIBILITY
SHARED
OWNERSHIP

about
ACCOUNTABILITY personal

RESPONSIBILITY

OWNERSHIP

control

delivery

mutual

influencecollaboratio

shared

solidarity

unity

leadership

DEGREE OF CONTROL

initiative

WHO IS US?

personal accountability

I have the control levers

Defines the decisions that are ultimately mine
Is the set of things my boss will hold me to and for which I am
employed.
I assure you rather than trust me
Included in my performance agreement
This defines what is important or central in my work. I do not have to
be asked to go here it is my job to be here.
Expect others to come here when your behaviour has an impact on an
arena for which they are accountable, or when there is overlap with an
arena for which they have shared responsibility.

mutual responsibility

I have the responsibility to influence

Anything that is impacted by my behaviour or my decisions is within
my influence
Will include cultural and environmental dimensions, and will therefore
be a significant component of my performance review conversation
Someone must be accountable, but I have the responsibility to give
input, state my case, and ensure alignment with my arena of
accountability
Go here when invited or when it impacts an arena for which I am
accountable.
Remember that this patch may be an arena that someone else is
ultimately accountable

shared ownership
Solidarity, who is we?
The domain that falls outside the sphere of my influence,
but that remains part of the whole of which I am a part
As broad as possible
All that sits under the strategic plan, that wears our brand
Go here when the brand or the whole is threatened
Be careful because others will know more than you

Behaviour in an ARO culture is

Focused and targeted, not scattered

Project rather then role or position oriented
Disciplined
High performance

Communication is
Entrepreneurial rather than beaurocratic
Transparent: knowledge and power is necessarily shared
Robust and often difficult because there is lots of grey in
the shared responsibility domain

Key vulnerabilities in an ARO culture

ACCOUNTABILITY
Lack of clarity
Excuses
REPONSIBILITY
No one accountable
Lack of systems thinking
OWNERSHIP
fragmentation

Key vulnerabilities in an ARO culture

competency creep:
Supplementing my accountabilities with personal
competency and preference
Disempowers those who have accountability in arena
of competency creep
Makes me busier
Indicates a local rather than organisational view has
cascading impact on other teams/departments
Requires trust in others ability to deliver according to
their accountabilities

Accountability at work
Accountability is...

Accountability is...

Effective leadership in action

Accountability is...

Seeing the vision and wanting to have it

Accountability is...

Having a plan and committing to it

Accountability is...

Sacrificing for the good of the team

Accountability is...

Knowing who, what, when, why, and how

Accountability is...

Communicating effectively

Accountability is...

Preparation and follow through

Accountability is...

The sum of Authority + Responsibility

Accountability is...

Caring about the process

Accountability is...

Good stewardship

Accountability is...

Knowing what to say and when to say it

Accountability is...

Dealing with issues professionally

Accountability is...

Dealing directly with the issue at hand

Accountability is...

Taking ownership for your actions

Accountability is...

Modeling expected performance

Accountability at work
Accountability is not...

Accountability is...

Not equal to a good excuse

Accountability is...

Not business as usual

Accountability is...

Not hiding things

Accountability is...

Not intrinsically burdensome

Accountability at work
I remember
Proverbs 27: 17
As iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.

And ...

We all have room for improvement