Diminishing accountability

Most people would take great care of their wallets and handbags. However some would take these things unassumingly until it is lost and they have to scramble to secure their identity from fraud and theft. The common content of everyone's wallet or handbag would be identity card, driving license, credit or debit cards, currency notes, coins, medical insurance card and loyalty programme cards. It is also quite common to find ATM transaction slips, sales receipts, business/calling card in wallets and handbags. As handbags are much bigger than wallets, you may also find lipsticks, small mirror, comb, scissors, mobile phones, medicine, PC tablets and pens in it.

However have you ever been held accountable for something that is not directly connected to your personal matters? This accountability comes with most of the job we do. Postmen or post women are held accountable to deliver mails every day. Courier, trucker, bus driver, taxi driver and pilots are similar. There are also numerous other examples at the office. An office or factory worker is accountable to deliver results from their work.

Accountability does not stop from us when we delegate it to someone else. For example, we are supposed to deliver an envelope from the club secretary to the club president. However due to our tight schedule, we requested a friend to deliver it instead. The accountability does not stop after we passed the envelope to the friend and expect our friend would deliver it to the president. The degree of accountability would be reducing as it passes from the secretary to us and then to the friend. However the accountability would not be zerorised when it goes through the chain as every sender would still be accountable to the envelope. He or she must ensure that the envelop arrives with the club president eventually.

The diagram here shows the diminishing accountability as it passes from one to another but it would not zerorised even after the handing over..

Hence, the originator of the task and the receivers of the envelope (us and our friend) should do the following as to ensure everyone fulfill their accountability:

1. Pass on the envelope to someone who can be trusted to deliver and safeguard the envelope.



2. Follow up and determine the status of the delivery of the envelope until it ends up with the club president. This can be done via email and phone call.