How to Hold Project Team Members Accountable
After developing the project team I found it very important to get the team together to develop "team norms" to ensure that everybody was on board. One of the main objectives of these norms was to be able to hold each member accountable for his or her responsibilities towards the overall success of the project. All "norms" were created in a group setting with all members present. The norms were base on the main objective of the project as well. Has anyone else ever used this type of approach and how effective did they find it?
James,
This is certainly a best practice approach. The buy in that you create by having the group develop the norms collectively is a powerful factor in achieving accountability an censuring consistent expectations. Nice work!
Dr. Eric Goodman
I think the project manager has to get "buy in" with his team members by establishing what's in it for the team members. Is this simply a job with the team members having so say in the project or is it a team effort where everyone has ownership of the project? Allowing the team members to own the project will give the team members a sense of ownership and hopefully the outcome will provide better results.
Joseph,
Great point about the importance of buy in and certainly providing an opportunity for people to have a voice is a key dimension of that!
Dr. Eric Goodman
I agree that "buy in" and ownership are essential to team member accountability, but I think identifying the right people with the correct skills will help to ensure they have a vested interest in their assigned task.
DeAndre,
Do you think it is enough to find the person with the skills? I'm wondering how else can you ensure they have a vested interest?
Dr. Eric Goodman
Yes, skills are necessary and I believe demonstrate interest. However, I think that skills alone are not enough to ensure effective participation. I think we must evaluate how active or engaged they are in their area of expertise, are they involved with professional organizations, and are they passionate about what they do and their skill set. This sort of analysis can help in selecting the right team members and/or placing team member more effectively.
DeAndre,
Great point about the importance of selecting members who are engaged. I'm wondering how besides the level of involvement in a professional organization you'd evaluate their passion?
Dr. Eric Goodman
I completely agree, your team member’s that to have a responsibility to the project and their other team members. If you have a team member not pulling their weight it could cause major problems during the project. Everyone needs to be accountable to their part in the project.
Katie,
Excellent point and what types of things would you recommend to help each team member have some accountability?
Dr. Eric Goodman
