The Ingredients of our ARCHWAY Approach include:

Accountability:

Our definition of accountability is that the accountable person carries the ultimate responsibility for the team or organisation's goals, regardless of who was responsible for this or that. 

People we delegate to may be held responsible for tasks, but we are accountable to our superiors for the overall result, even if a mistake was made by someone we delegated to. Be accountable. 

Responsibility:

Our view on “responsibility” is that we are responsible for what we do and say, or for what we don’t do or say. We are responsible for our behaviour toward others as well. 

However, we can also be held accountable for the behaviours, performance and actions of those we are responsible for. Therefore, responsibility can rest with many, but accountability usually falls on one person. 

Consequence:

This word often fails to accompany the words “Accountability” and “Responsibility”. However, if we do not impose consequences when people fail to meet their obligations, other consequences will be felt across the team and the organisation.  

If a person's poor performance is not addressed immediately in a supportive manner, the knock-on effects will impact many more people and may cause saboteurs or lead to people leaving altogether. As we know to our cost, people really do leave because of other people. Ask us how to facilitate our aptly named “Consequence Conversations”

Holistic: 

Here, we mean that any decision taken by the team to implement changes must include a health check first to assess how the decision could impact all stakeholders across the wider organisation, as well as its customers and clients. 

It would be foolish to implement a change which negatively impacts another team, as that will cause ill feelings. It is better to discuss things with the other team, and even if it does add a step or two to their existing processes, it will be fully understood why the changes help achieve the organisation's goals. Focus on that broader picture.

Why:

Why are we making this decision, and what caused us to have to make this decision in the first place? 

Also, ensure that we are all equipped to deal with “why” questions from anyone else, especially from clients or customers, who should have been considered in the Holistic aspect above, as they too are stakeholders. 

Alignment:

Have we carefully checked that our decision aligns not only with our organisational values but also with our moral and ethical values? Test this out with individuals, as we all have various views on matters. 

If we risk going against people's values, we run the risk of creating workplace saboteurs, which brings a whole new set of complications. 

To test this, imagine that your decision is to be published in the papers tomorrow, would you still go with your decision, or would you be guilty of being biased? 

You:

Does this sit well with you and every member of the team? When you consider this whole process, have you and others felt able to be authentic and true to your own beliefs and been given the opportunity (and safety) to say what you truly feel? Or have you been pushed into agreeing with a decision that does not sit well with you due to the power or coercion by those in authority over you? 

There are many factors to consider regarding ethical and Authentic leadership, so take the time to explore this topic.