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Using “Responsibility Statements” in Job Descriptions
One of the greatest frustrations in being managed, and in managing others, is in agreeing what you are responsible for. A lack of clarity here leads to staff feeling like the goal-posts are constantly being changed by management and Management believing that staff are avoiding responsibility for under-performance.
For those of us being managed – tell me what you want done, explain to me what success looks like and how it will be measured. This will ensure I clearly know what’s expected of me, and how we can have real conversations in the future about whether I’m meeting expectations.
For those of us doing the managing – I’ll make a clear statement of what we’re agreed you are responsible for and how this is to be tracked and reported.
For everyone – this leads to a very clear acceptance of what’s expected.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to achieve clarity is to develop a set of “Responsibilities” in the Job Description at the start of the employment relationship or at the point of promotion or role change. Usually 3 or 4 statements will cover what’s needed – with most focussing on operational responsibilities and an additional statement on developing into the future.
Further statements should be added in the subsequent sections on how the responsibilities will be measured (KPIs – Key Performance Indicators), and the main processes that the responsibilities entail. A final section should outline what resources the person will have available to him/her to deliver on the responsibilities.
The document structure should be:
It’s surprising how a little investment in time in understanding how we expect people to go about their role will bring certainty into the future. Managers have been clear in stating what’s expected and the staff member can “sign-on” that what’s expected has been made clear and is achievable.
Long-term this saves a huge amount of time and effort!
John Eager
Written by: Winabu
Date: November 11, 2014
