---
title: "Cultivate Ownership for Decision Accountability"
source: "https://virtualddd.com/heuristics/cultivate-ownership-for-decision-accountability/"
authors: ["Peter Hunter", "Elena Stojmilova", "Kenny Schwegler", "Andrea Magnorsky"]
tags: ["facilitating software architecture and design", "decentralised decision-making", "team agency", "sociotechnical systems"]
type: "value based heuristics"
question: "How do we ensure that recorded decisions are actually implemented?"
submitter: "Elena Stojmilova"
---

# Cultivate Ownership for Decision Accountability

Accountability stems from a culture of ownership, not from rigid enforcement. Empowering teams to make and own their decisions fosters the intrinsic motivation required to see them through to implementation. This culture is the foundation of a decentralized model.

## Examples

Ensuring a decision is implemented relies on the team having a sense of ownership and accountability for what they wrote. This cultural aspect is more important than any enforcement mechanism.