The Myth of Shared Team Ownership: Why Accountability Matters
In the world of product management, “team ownership” has become a buzzword. It’s often touted as the key to success, with leaders encouraging teams to take collective responsibility for problems and initiatives. But, in reality, shared team ownership is a myth. And it’s a myth that can lead to a lack of accountability and, ultimately, failure.
The Problem with Shared Team Ownership
When everyone is responsible, no one is accountable. It’s a simple yet profound truth. If you want a team to own a problem, you need to give them a reason to care. And, let’s be honest, when there’s no clear incentive or motivation, individuals are unlikely to take ownership.
I’ve seen this firsthand. As a product manager, I’ve tried to foster a sense of shared ownership among my team. I’ve coached, mentored, and even shared inspiring TED Talks. But, despite my best efforts, it never stuck. The reason? It’s not a people problem; it’s an accountability problem.
The Accountability Problem
As product managers, we have a range of accountabilities when it comes to delivering great products. And, at the end of the day, each team member is judged on their individual performance. Take, for example, a QA engineer. Which statement do you think will have a greater impact on their career progression?
- “I managed to spot the majority of issues before greenlighting them for release, and as a result, we had zero critical issues on production.”
- “Although the production exploded three times under my watch, thanks to my contribution, we managed to find a solution for customer X’s problem with low technical effort!”
The first statement is likely to lead to a raise, while the second might put the QA engineer on a performance improvement plan. It’s better to take “shared consequences” as a team for not delivering a team-owned initiative than to underperform in an area where you’re strictly accountable.
The Solution: Individual Accountabilities
So, what’s the solution? It’s not about being a one-person army, constantly worrying about timelines, problem resolution, and initiative progress. Nor is it about giving it to the team and forgetting about it. The answer lies in individual accountabilities.
When you need your team to handle something, you need to leave product meetings knowing which individual will be accountable for driving results. This person will ask for help, drive other team members, and escalate if something goes off track. They’ll have mental ownership over a particular topic, and it’s impossible to build collectively.
Practical Examples of Individual Accountabilities
I’ve explored various ways to build individual accountabilities, and here are three approaches that have worked well:
- Sprint Roles: Repetitive tasks need to be taken care of every sprint. Examples include facilitating retrospectives, organizing team reviews, and ensuring sprint goal achievement. By assigning specific accountabilities to specific people, you can avoid burnout and ensure that tasks are completed.
- Feature Owners: When starting a new initiative, designate a feature owner who will be accountable for all initiative-related activities. This person will keep track of deadlines, ensure proper documentation, and coordinate with other teams.
- Problem Owners: Problem owners work on the same principles as feature owners. They take mental ownership of a specific problem, proactively work towards solving it, and engage other team members to support them.
Conclusion
Burnout is common in product management because PMs have to own numerous initiatives, problems, and processes mentally. It’s practically impossible. Delegating this work to a team doesn’t work either. The team should own initiatives, customer problems, processes, and challenges, but only if a specific team member is accountable for driving results. Don’t leave problems “with the team.” Instead, make sure each issue is taken care of by a specific person who’s aware it’s their job to take care of it.