The Next Next Common Sense
modules that teams could access when facing specific challenges, and implemented a peer mentoring system that connected teams at different autonomy development stages. They supplemented this with "decision support tools" that provided frameworks for addressing common chal- lenges without prescribing specific solutions. This capability approach created coherence by ensuring freedoms and abilities evolved in tandem rather than creating responsibility without capacity. Challenge: Accountability Ambiguity As decision authority dis- tributes across organizations, traditional accountability structures of- ten break down, creating confusion about who is responsible for what. A professional services firm experienced significant coordination problems when autonomy implementation left unclear boundaries between team and leadership accountabilities. Solution Approach: Organizations navigating this challenge suc- cessfully develop "dynamic accountability systems" that explicitly clarify responsibilities at different organizational levels. The professional services firm implemented a "tiered accountability framework" that distinguished between strategic direction (leadership accountability), execution ap- proach (team accountability), and cross-team coordination (shared ac- countability). They supplemented this with regular "accountability map- ping sessions" where teams explicitly negotiated responsibility boundaries around specific challenges. This clarity created coherence by ensuring autonomy didn't become a euphemism for ambiguity. Assessing Readiness to Move to Step 5 Before advancing to communication design, organizations should assess their autonomy readiness through:
Autonomy Capability Verification
• Do teams have the skills necessary for effective autonomous decision-making?
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