The problems that accountability can't fix
18 days ago
- #Leadership
- #Accountability
- #Risk Management
- Accountability aligns incentives to achieve better outcomes by imposing negative consequences for failures.
- The OceanGate submarine implosion incident is cited as an example where accountability did not prevent disaster.
- Top-down accountability assigns responsibility to individuals but fails in coordination problems involving multiple components.
- Technical Project Managers (TPMs) are used to handle coordination issues across teams in large organizations.
- Bottom-up accountability holds leaders responsible for their actions, but misaligned risk models can still lead to failures.
- Stockton Rush, CEO and pilot of OceanGate, had personal accountability but misjudged risks, leading to the implosion.
- Double binds occur when conflicting incentives (e.g., business vs. safety) undermine accountability.
- Cross-checks and diverse perspectives can mitigate risks better than relying on a single accountable individual.
- An independent safety organization is proposed as a solution to prevent risks arising from double binds.