Appreciative Accountability

The word accountability conjures up ideas of judgment, elevated authority looking down at us, black robes and gavels . . . And where there is judgment, there must have been a crime. So, just hearing the word accountability makes us defensive. We assume we are being investigated. We have to track and report all our numbers and measurements to prove our case of innocence.

In some settings, accountability is more accepted, though it still raises defenses a bit. In manufacturing, for example, accountability for product quality and sales impact profit margins. Therefore, it is expected by production workers and rarely overlooked by managers. However, when you talk about accountability among human service groups, it is a different story. And, boy, try mentioning it when talking with a church board or ministry team; the bristles really perk up!

Historically, human service funding has not tied directly to evaluation measures, but this is changing. Government dollars are stretched. Foundations, United Way's, and even individual givers are eager to see the results of their gifts. In response, organizations that feed the hungry, house the homeless, care for the elderly and young children are required more and more to count numbers and show outcomes. Executive directors and local government managers are developing program evaluations and quality improvements. Six Sigma and other quality terms heard in manufacturing for years, are beginning to show up in non-profit circles. Still, tracking and analyzing data can be foreign, frustrating, and even offensive to those who have dedicated their life's work to helping people.

When services are grounded in passion for the well being of others, whether human service oriented or ministry, it feels devaluing to reduce the results to measurable counts or statistical formulas!

Let me offer an alternative view of accountability. Rather than drudging through data to prove our innocence from misuse of funds, let's consider accountability from an appreciative perspective.

There are two ways to change behavior - by reward or by punishment. When using a reward system, people receive praise and acknowledgement. The results include feelings of accomplishment and success, feeling good, higher self esteem, and increasing confidence. Punishment creates the opposite response: fear, anxiety, negative feelings about self, lower confidence, and lower self esteem.

So, if we turned accountability into appreciation, what would that look like? Reports would be used for recognizing and publicly praising accomplishments; watching for and publicizing successes; calling attention to individuals, programs or ministries that make a difference. Data tracking becomes a way to feel good about your work, your ministry, yourself . . . You can watch the scale tip . . . Show others what works well . . . Document the evidence so new ideas or strategies that work well can be repeated and more lives can be changed! Appreciative accountability assumes program strength rather than program deficit.

It is not easy to be appreciative in a world that assumes the darker side but it is well worth the effort. Be intentional. Take another look at accountability, a healing look, a healthy look. It is a new tool, a new resource that can and will make a difference for the future!