What Problems Does A Lack Of Accountability Cause?

Home » What Problems Does A Lack Of Accountability Cause?

Have you ever wondered what a lack of accountability in the workplace can cause?

Did you know that nine out of every ten businesses fail? I am not trying to discourage you, but that’s the truth. It’s not the lack of having big dreams or passion, it’s the lack of commitment and introspection required to translate that passion into solid actions.

Accountability is taking ownership of your actions irrespective of whether you face rewards or consequences. It is assuming responsibility without playing any blame game.

When you foster accountability in the workplace, you boost morale, increase efficiency, and make your workplace more productive. Have you ever wondered what a lack of accountability in the workplace can cause? Let us tell you.

This blog explores the pitfalls of lack of accountability and how it wreaks havoc in the workplace. Read on to know how a lack of accountability affects the workplace and creates disruptiveness. It will make you realize the importance of fostering accountability in the workplace.

HOW ACCOUNTABLE ARE YOU?

Discover your Accountability Score and increase the probability of smashing your GOALS and Getting Sh!t Done!

Consequences of lack of accountability

Accountable leaders are essential for every workplace. Without them, havoc will likely ensue in the workplace. There will be no clarity, goals, or a clear to-do list. Moreover, no one will accept responsibility for their actions and strive to perform well for the betterment of the organization.

Below are the key consequences of lack of accountability in the workplace:

1. Low morale

There is a low morale when there is a lack of accountability in the workplace. No one is motivated to perform best of their capabilities. Team members and colleagues feel like nothing they do matters. A sense of demotivation ensues with a lack of accountability. Moreover, it creates a toxic environment where people are unwilling to work hard and execute their responsibility to achieve organizational and personal goals.

2. Disengaged employees

A lack of accountability lowers morale and creates disengaged employees. As a leader, if you don’t hold your team accountable for meeting deadlines, producing quality work, and attending meetings, they will feel like what they do doesn’t matter. They will feel apathetic to the organizational goals and objectives. The feeling of ‘what is the point’ will wash over your team and colleagues.

3. Low Productivity

Lack of accountability automatically creates low productivity. In a culture with no accountability, the responsibility to adhere to deadlines, perform well, and work hard ceases to exist. Moreover, it creates a lack of management and interpersonal issues. It also causes customer care issues, and you start losing your clientele. With the productivity reduction, employees disengage entirely, and that creates efficiency problems.

Lack of accountability essentially kills productivity and efficiency in the organization.

4. High Turnover

When your workplace doesn’t have accountability, productivity drops to zero, and there are no efficient workers. Moreover, there will be gaps in communication, feedback, and goal-setting actions. Hence, the employees and your team will feel like their actions have no impact. This will cause them to check out and resign their posts. They will start hunting for jobs where they feel valued and responsible.

As a result, you will have a high turnover or attrition rate when there is no accountability in the workplace. Creating a positive work environment by instilling the principles of accountability is essential to prevent employees from jumping ship.

5. Blame game ensues

With a lack of accountability in the workplace, no one is willing to take responsibility for their actions and results. So, everyone blames the other person for any mistake or mishappenings. For instance, if your team doesn’t achieve the sales target, they will start blaming each other for not meeting the goals instead of analyzing the issues and addressing the reasons. This creates an environment of distrust and a foreboding sense of gloom in the workplace.

6. Poor quality work

Lack of accountability builds an environment of distrust, no reliability, and low productivity. So, it is bound to affect the quality of work. The quality of work will be poor, and no one will be willing to fix it as there’s a toxic environment where everyone thinks ‘what is the point.’ Since people are not held accountable, they won’t trouble themselves to double-check their work to ensure accuracy and relevancy.

7. Lack of communication

Another thing no accountability can affect is communication. When people are not held accountable, they don’t communicate well. There will be fear-mongering, and the team will be unwilling to come forward with doubts. You won’t know who needs training and when to give feedback in a toxic environment.

Endnotes

Accountability is the wheel that makes the organization run smoothly. Without it, your team will not know what to do. Moreover, they will make mistakes and not take responsibility for it. A lack of accountability in the workplace will cause fear-mongering and distrust amongst your team and colleagues, and the quality of work will drop drastically.

Furthermore, when you fail to create an accountability culture, there is low morale, disengaged employees, high turnover, and decreased productivity. So, when you notice that work is suffering, analyze the accountability levels in the organization. If that is low, you need to take steps to foster accountability.

In order to do that, you can also take the help of accountability partners and coaches like TickThoseBoxes to improve the situation at your workplace. They will analyze your workplace, discuss your goals and objectives, help you create to-do lists, and keep you on the path to achieving your goals. Moreover, they will hold you accountable and ensure you don’t fall off the wagon.

So, avoid creating a lack of accountability in the workplace to succeed.

About The Author

Darren Finkelstein, The Accountability Guy®, is the founder of TICK THOSE BOXES, a specialised accountability coaching practice. Darren is a formidable international accountability coach, business advisor, mentor, and author/speaker, fostering development and measurable results in entrepreneurship, leadership, and accountability. Darren’s tale is one of perseverance, self-reinvention, and resilience.

With compelling execution, Darren has empowered high-achieving individuals and teams from Australia and New Zealand to Latin America, Europe, Asia, the UK, and the US to embrace accountability; after all, it is your superpower.

Darren’s one-on-one and group coaching programs are based on his bestselling business book, “The Accountability Advantage – Play your best game” and the latest, release “NO’ – Building a life of choice without obligation”.

Darren has an impressive background in business, having held the role of “Manager of Commercial Markets” at Apple Australia during the Steve Jobs revolution.

He enthusiastically “walks the talk,” having also successfully sold and exited his lifestyle businesses, which served as the impetus for establishing his coaching and mentoring business.

Join Darren on this transformative quest to accomplish the remarkable.

Read Darren’s full bio here:
https://tickthoseboxes.com.au/about/