Before the start of any project, do you ask yourself, “Are
my team members held accountable? Do they feel a personal responsibility to
deliver the goods?” If you haven’t made the steps to communicate that message
yet, it is essential to lay down that foundation in the beginning. For that
reason, Accountability
is the most important of the ten imperatives in Robert’s Rules of
Innovation. In his book, Robert
Brands describes the ten factors that must be achieved in order to create
and sustain Innovation in business
- and it all starts with Accountability.
Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept
responsibility for one’s actions. After all, as the leader of a New
Product Development team in any organization, how do you expect your team
members to deliver satisfactory results within the desired timeframe? Make it
clear from the beginning exactly what is expected of each team member and that
they are held accountable for their work. Let your team know that, as members
of the organization and members of the NPD team, it is their responsibility to
contribute, to pull their own weight and to hold firm to deadlines. Otherwise,
deadlines can slip with no real improvements made, and the end result may lead
to finger pointing for who’s responsible. Don’t let that happen to your NPD
process.
It is clear to specific individuals and groups what their responsibilities
are? Do you define action items at the end of each product development review
meeting? These are key steps to implement for a good foundation to achieving
Innovation.
If you struggle with Accountability, try interim reporting
of steps so that when the due date comes the task is completed. Say you want a
new design of a product in 30 days at the next NPD meeting, ask for an interim
report on sketches a week later, drawing the week following and status of
prototype build the week before the due date. No surprises…
When you successfully establish Accountability, it leads to
great benefits for you such as being able to trust in your team, freeing up
time for you to concentrate on strategy, and getting to lead a team that is confident,
motivated and ready to take on the next “big thing”.
For more tips and insight visit: http://www.robertsrulesofinnovation.com/tips/accountability/accountability-tips.html