What’s the difference between accountability and ownership? Accountability is a necessary but extrinsic system of motivation that enables employees to know what is expected of them. Ownership, on the other hand, springs from internal motivation. The game of baseball can teach us about the benefits of creating a culture of accountability that leads to personal ownership of results. Because baseball is both a team and an individual sport, everyone has a specific role in the final outcome.

General Managers instill and perpetuate a culture of accountability by drafting and trading players, hiring and firing managers and controlling budgets, but they are NOT responsible for what happens on the field. That’s the manager’s job. Armed with metrics for making decisions on the field, the manager strives to help each player work to their full potential.

Good managers know what it takes to be successful every day the game is played. They also know how to drive accountability to each individual baseball player. Players are consistently measured on strikeouts, RBIs, batting averages and much more. Consequently, ownership springs from intrinsic motivation. It happens when players choose to “own” their individual results and do what needs to be done because they expect it of themselves.

Have you created a culture of accountability that increases the likelihood of personal ownership of individual, team and company results? A culture of accountability and personal ownership fit like a baseball in a glove. 2015 National League Manager of the Year, Joe Maddon, commented about the turnaround or the Tampa Bay Rays, “It’s not overachieving necessarily as much as it is understanding how to play this game daily and actually meeting your level of expectation regarding talent level because the talent level is that good.”

Likewise, good frontline managers know how to win daily by spending quality time with employees and empowering them to perform the right actions at the optimum level of performance. DB&A can help your organization operate at full capacity by helping you execute “through the front lines” to ensure that every employee is set up for success. Reach out to us to discover how your organization might benefit from our proven process.