The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Tin Woodsman returned to rule over the Wicked Witch’s creatures, opting to share his new knowledge. Here, the authors summarize five elements to maintaining accountability.

1. “Training Everyone,” at all levels. Everyone at an organization must learn to appreciate the connection between accountability and results. To do this effectively, leaders must learn to recognize the negative associations some might have with accountability. The authors provide the “Organizational Accountability Assessment” to help understand the organization’s current attitude (248).
2. A “New View” of being accountable. Learning to recognize and resist the pull of the victim cycle by staying Above The Line will lead to a more positive and productive work environment. This requires a deep commitment to getting the entire organization on board with accountability.
3. Making accountability the norm. Using the Oz Principle to communicate what the victim cycle looks like in contrast to staying Above The Line helps people see and understand how to practice accountability.

Continuous feedback is an important part of staying Above The Line. Consider the fictitious example of Bill, who speaks to many of the people the authors work with. After listening to a report from Stan, his peer, Bill debated speaking up about what he felt was a victim story. While he debated, another coworker, Julie, spoke up in a coaching tone, acknowledging Stan’s story while also asking how they could move beyond it. It turned out that everyone in the room had ideas—they just needed a chance to express solutions. The president praised Julie for taking the initiative and showing leadership in this moment.

The authors have stressed the value of asking how people can contribute to a solution. There are more questions that they can add to this list. Clint Lewis, a sales manager, was frustrated by his division’s inability to get good numbers, until he came across a copy of The Oz Principle. Through the book, he learned to take accountability and lead his team to turn the situation around. He and many of those on his team have since been promoted.

To make accountability sustainable, we must promote structures and cultures that embrace it. That means recognizing people who are accountable and rewarding and promoting them. Several people and organizations the authors have worked with adapted strategies to present stories of accountability at meetings. In a potentially risky move at one such meeting, Joan presented on her team’s struggles. Though some dipped Below The Line to try to find blame for the problems, the conversation quickly shifted to joint accountability and finding solutions.

To overcome the obstacles created from a victim culture, it is helpful to: use language related to Above The Line thinking; promote Above The Line stories to make the concepts more memorable and relatable; reward employees who demonstrate Above The Line thinking; use the framework in the book to develop plans to get Above The Line; be a role model and promote role models who exemplify accountability; and encourage people to identify problems and seek out solutions.

Honoring personal commitments can be the difference between admiration and disappointment. Organizations the authors work with often have an ever-ballooning list of projects that aren’t completed because personal commitments are not honored. Making the switch involves making people accountable without making accountability punitive.

The first guideline to this cultural transformation is clearly defining results so that people don’t confuse “work with results” (265). Second, it’s important that leaders agree times with teams for progress reports so they have some say in their deadlines. Third, it is important to offer praise when progress is made while also asking questions about what else can be done. A good leader resists the temptation to tell others what to do.

An admin at a hospital attended an Oz Principle training and provides a powerful example of the approach. She saw a real transformation in her approach and emailed her supervisor to discuss them. She recognized that she was now able to resist the pull Below The Line when interacting with negative employees and that she now takes accountability for things she would often push off to the next shift.

The authors encourage readers to identify an issue at their organization and to identify strategies to get the organization Above The Line. Just as in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy’s friends became accountable, they found others eager to learn from their example.

The Lion in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz represents courage tested by danger. Unfortunately, many companies accept situations as inevitable and fail to muster the courage to address problems. Common issues are explored in this chapter. All kinds of organizations suffer from these problems and make the mistake of regarding them as inconsequential.

1. “Poor Communication.” Communication is something that all organizations struggle with, and not dealing with it can be expensive. People often talk about poor communication as though they are victimized by it, as when they talk about not feeling heard. Poor communication problems promote Below The Line thinking. Moving Above The Line with communication can simply mean using the “See It, Own It, Solve It, Do It” steps (78).
2. “People Development.” People often feel that there aren’t opportunities to develop and obtain promotions because clear processes are not in place and supervisors are inaccessible. Organizations should develop employees, but it is also important for individuals to identify opportunities and speak up to superiors about their desires for advancement. Joint accountability between employer and employee is essential here.
3. “Empowerment.” There is a lot of confusion about what it means to be empowered. One person the authors worked with took on a promising role but quickly turned into a dictator because he confused empowerment with doing what he wanted. He didn’t last in this role. The authors believe that people should stop using the term “empowerment” and instead focus on what they can do to achieve the results they want.
4. “Misalignment.” Individuals at organizations can have very different ideas about what business they are in and their mission. Johnson Controls, a company that the authors worked with, had this issue. Everyone did what they saw as their piece, but they kept losing out to competitors because they did not see how their activities connected to the goals of the company. Understanding how the pieces fit together helped the company create a culture of accountability. Alignment with a common goal needs to be present throughout an organization. At any stage, misaligned leaders signal to those below them to follow suit and fall Below The Line.
5. “Entitlement.” Companies that offer annual bonuses and other perks can run into a problem. Employees might come to assume that such things will happen, regardless of performance. Employees can stay Above The Line by recognizing that such benefits are the product of their hard work contributing to the success of the company.
6. Work/life “Imbalance.” The companies the authors have worked with often have conflicting priorities, and the biggest of these is balancing employees’ personal and professional lives. Here, the Oz Principle can help achieve balance. Sometimes it does make sense to leave a position when balance cannot be achieved. While employers must do their part, employees must also stay Above The Line.
7. “Poor Performance.” Without honest feedback, it can be challenging to confront poor performance, and managers often have countless excuses for not addressing it. An MBA the authors refer to as Ted had an abrasive leadership style that seemed to get results. On the other hand, he made those around him miserable. When his superiors eventually confronted him, he quit, though to his credit, he adopted a more personable leadership style.
8. Development for leaders. Leaders at the top often receive little candid feedback even when they seek it out. Employees worry that they risk their livelihood if they provide such feedback, and many leaders struggle to receive such feedback. Steve Jobs is a famous example of a leader who struggled to receive feedback. Most leaders do want honest feedback, but they must make it clear that they value it.
9. “Cross-Functional Strife.” Different divisions within a company often fight amongst themselves, creating discord and undermining goals. An organization the authors consulted with had such a problem, which delayed goals as vice presidents bickered with each other. After applying the Oz Principle, they learned to have a more cooperative relationship.
10. “Programitis.” Many new fads become popular in management, creating more problems than they allegedly solve. Managers are often attracted to whichever fad is in vogue, forgetting that any number of strategies can succeed if you stick with it and stay Above The Line.

The authors conclude with examples of clients that have benefited from the principles presented in the book. Fitness manufacturer Precor maintains its excellence by frequently reforming the culture and imbuing it with accountability. Eli-Lilly & Company took responsibility for the criticism that it didn’t support minority-owned businesses. AmerisourceBergen, a health care supplier, applied the “Solve It” mentality to replace lost clients before they lost them, inspiring everyone in the organization to be accountable for sales. Becoming accountable, like the characters in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, will allow you to “direct your own destiny” (304).