18 Dec 06 @ 8:17 am
Accountability at the Airport
Planning to travel this holiday season? If so, you’re also probably one of millions of Americans who are dreading the airport security lines – I know I am. As I gear up for my holiday travel and remember so many of my own frustrating trips through airport security, I can’t help but think about accountability at the airport.
It’s been several months since the TSA carry-on regulations took hold, so why are some travelers still confused? I think it’s time to take a closer look at the TSA, as a real-world case study for creating conditions of accountability about what is and what isn’t allowed through airport security.
Creating the conditions of accountability is necessary in any organization for getting people to do the things they need to do – whether it be complying with SOX or with carry-on luggage regulations. As outlined in the article, “How to combat a culture of excuses and promote accountability,” we believe the root cause of many accountability problems can be uncovered by asking four questions at the core of accountability:
- Are expectations clear to employees?
- Are those expectations perceived as credible and reasonable?
- Do employees anticipate that positive consequences will follow performance?
- Do employees anticipate that negative consequences will follow poor performance?
Replace “employees” with “travelers” in these four questions, and you’ve uncovered a major problem: the TSA isn’t creating conditions of accountability. Let’s look at the first question – are expectations around the regulations clear to travelers? No. We’re constantly hearing different things: no liquids allowed; only three ounce containers are permitted; zip-top sandwich bags only; no fold over or gallon size bags…it gets confusing.
The TSA, like all other organizations, is responsible for establishing the conditions of accountability – and we believe the first step to making this happen is to clearly communicate the expectations around liquid, gel, and aerosol restrictions. But this will only solve part of the problem. The expectations around the regulations must also be credible and reasonable, and travelers must anticipate the positive and negative consequences following performance or non-performance.
If the TSA had only established the conditions of accountability at airports, we’d all be happy travelers this holiday season.
posted in category(s): Miscellaneous
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