Which practice best supports accountability in a team?

• A. Hiding mistakes to avoid responsibility
• B. Denying responsibility when errors occur
• C. Documenting errors and seeking root cause analysis
• D. Assigning blame to others

Answer: (C)

Accountability in a team comes from openly recording what happened and digging into why it happened so improvements can be made. Documenting errors and pursuing root cause analysis is the best practice because it creates a reliable record, reveals systemic issues rather than blaming individuals, and guides corrective actions to prevent recurrence. It also builds a culture of trust where team members feel safe to report mistakes and participate in solutions. In contrast, hiding mistakes, denying responsibility, or blaming others undermine accountability by stifling learning, eroding trust, and letting problems persist. Root cause analysis typically involves gathering facts, tracing the sequence of events, identifying contributing factors, and implementing fixes followed by monitoring to ensure the issue doesn’t recur.