Major changes in the work environment in the post-pandemic period have challenged the established leadership and management strategies. The rise of the remote and hybrid work models highlighted the importance of building a team culture that balances autonomy and accountability.

However, autonomy without trust easily leads to chaos, while accountability without alignment with team goals feels like surveillance. Striking the right balance between the two requires specific management and leadership skills.

In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide to creating a culture where both autonomy and accountability thrive.

#1. Build Trust First: The Foundation of Autonomous Teams

Trust is non-negotiable in a distributed work environment and is the first step to building a healthy work culture. However, establishing trust without physical presence and contact is a unique challenge that requires a strategic approach.

That’s because trust is primarily based on knowing the other person, and it is hard to get to know someone in a predominantly virtual environment.

So, how can you build trust in a remote team with only resumes and online interviews guaranteeing someone’s competence and qualities? Ensuring psychological safety by modeling transparency, consistency, and vulnerability is a solid first step.

Meanwhile, quality personality tools, such as the Enneagram test, can facilitate this process and bridge the communication gap.

Reliable Enneagram test allows a precise insight into an individual’s work and communication style, talents, and leadership potential quickly, enabling the employer to choose not only the most competent candidate but also the best cultural fit. Personality tools can also significantly reduce assumptions and misinterpretations that are common in a remote work environment.

#2. Set Clear Expectations, Not Just Job Descriptions

When there’s a lot of ambiguity or lack of precision in roles and responsibilities, critical tasks slip through the cracks, and trust gets lost. Leaders resort to micromanagement while everyone feels guilty for a lack of results, and accountability is hard to establish.

The way out of such a mess isn’t rigidity but precision. It’s necessary to map the scope, define responsibilities, enable ownership, and describe desired outcomes for every role. When each employee understands what is expected of them, establishing standard operating procedures comes naturally and feels like the logical next step, not like a bureaucratic shackle.

Selecting the appropriate workflow automation tool can significantly aid in this process of organizing the workplace and enhancing the company's values. By encouraging clarity and minimizing the need for frequent staff meetings, these tools allow everyone to focus on their primary duties.

#3. Learn How to Communicate Like a Leader

Communication is often what makes the difference between a boss and a leader. A true leader knows how to convey the message that inspires action, not just reaction. The more autonomy there is in the team, the more effective communication needs to be. Here are a few key tips for constructive communication:

1. Enable instead of instructing. Instead of giving instructions, emphasize the objective that must be met and motivate others to find the most effective path to it. This way, you’re fostering innovation, accountability, and autonomy.
2. Build a communication framework. It’s important to differentiate when to use async communication, like email, and when to use sync communication, like calls and meetings. For example, brainstorming and problem-solving activities are more effective with synchronous communication, while updates and non-urgent decisions can be done via email.
3. Adjust communication style. Understanding personality types is essential for being able to attune to the different communication styles of each employee. For instance, a highly introverted type may prefer more autonomy than a typical extrovert who thrives on the fast-paced exchange of information.

#4. Use Automation for Empowering, Not Replacing Team Members

The idea behind workflow automation isn’t to replace human effort. On the contrary, the purpose of work automation tools is to relieve teams from repetitive, predictable tasks that can be done by anyone so that everyone can focus on what they are best at.

Plus, these tools also ensure that those repetitive procedures are performed on the same high level each time they are repeated. For example, the onboarding procedure for new employees needs to have standardized steps that are the same for each new employee.

Many processes that are not inspiring for the team can be replaced and improved with the right workflow automation tool. Instead of waiting for the manager’s instructions and manual follow-ups, team members can focus more effectively when the tasks are assigned automatically.

This leaves more room for creative thinking and inspiring exchanges since everyone has enough time to deal with their priorities and doesn’t get lost in mundane tasks.

#5. Create Feedback Loops and Recognize Wins (and Fails)

Constructive feedback can be an exceptional leadership tool, allowing employees to feel seen and recognized for their efforts or to get help when they fail to achieve the desired result.

Moreover, when feedback is normalized, expected, and standardized, employees feel safe. The feeling of safety promotes creativity, collaboration, and open dialogue, allowing for feedback to flow in all directions, not just top-down.

This starts with putting organized feedback systems, such as regular retrospectives, in place to evaluate the system as a whole rather than specific employees. Public recognition of success strengthens team spirit and motivates individuals to excel in their area while decreasing the need for micromanagement.

Conclusion

Striking the optimal balance between autonomy and accountability should be seen as a process that is achieved over time, not a task on the list that has a deadline. While workflow automation tools can support this process in many ways, the human element remains crucial.

Leaders who understand this can adapt to various communication styles and recognize the distinct contributions of different personality types, which are the ones who prosper in the modern workplace.