Clear Expectations
Are roles, responsibilities, and standards well-defined?
Does everyone know what they're accountable for? Role ambiguity drains energy — clarity preserves it.
What We Measure
Whether roles, responsibilities, and standards are well-defined, and whether everyone knows what they are accountable for. We surface role ambiguity — one of the quietest and most persistent drains on a team.
Why It Matters
Clear expectations are a foundation of Structure & Clarity, one of the dynamics Google's Project Aristotle linked to high-performing teams. Role ambiguity drains energy; clarity preserves it. When people are unsure what they own, work falls between the cracks or is duplicated, and accountability dissolves.
When It's Working
- Everyone can describe what they are accountable for
- The boundaries between roles are understood
- Standards for good work are explicit and shared
When It's Not
- Work falls between the cracks or is done twice
- People are unsure who owns a decision
- "I didn't know that was mine" is a recurring theme
Connected Components
No component works in isolation. Clear Expectations combines with others to produce Dependability and Structure & Clarity.
Assess Clear Expectations in Your Team
See how your team scores on Clear Expectations as part of a full team diagnostic across all 14 components.