What does accountability look like in a VUCA world?

How is accountability different in an uncertain (versus a certain) world? In response to VUCA, we can no longer follow the plan as initially set, since it needs to be flexible in response to changing conditions, new information, lessons learned, etc. So, accountability has to be to a vision – where we want to get to – not the “how to get there” plan. Frequently this means we’re tracking things we can’t really measure. There’s no qualitative data available, and we don’t yet know the steps that will be necessary.  However, we can monitor whether we’re moving closer to, or further away from, our vision. This also means that we need to reward proactive behaviors – doing what needs to be done in the moment, not waiting to be told.  This may require a culture shift. From a leader’s perspective, this isn’t the most common form of delegation and, again, needs to be negotiated and monitored with care. This too, takes a different set of leadership characteristics and skills.