What does accountability mean?Why is it relevant to us?Different people have different opinions to it. For this particular question I have collected the opinions from the following people:
KC K who is an assistant product manager gave his answers as follows,
In my humble opinion, Accountability means more than just responsible.Accountability = responsible + result oriented.Accountability is my focus to perform right action. To deliver the best amicable result, right to all. Accountability is important to my customers and company.If staff are not accountable, customers end up with customer service, or end up with competitor's business.For Rebecca Gebhardt B, a company director:Accountability = responsibility. For me it is the essence of the human resource in a business environment. If one is not willing to take responsibility, and this make himself accountable, it is a sign that he will not be reliable. It also signals that this person will probably not grow within the company. You have to take ownership of your work in order to do that.Chuchu M, a quantity surveyor said
To me it means how well i define my responsibility, and it touches on my professionalism and integrity.Its not only just about what I do, but also about how and why. ie can i explain the logic behind my actions especially where am the cusdodian and no other custodian above me.Tirumalai K, the principal scientist had the following opinion:
Accountability is among the most important of social glues, the entity that engenders trust. It doesn't have different uses and importance in professional versus personal lives, rather it is of universal importance. If anything, the current global economic turmoil underlines the importance of accountability in human society.We have responsibilities, some that we voluntarily take on and others that are thrust upon us. Regardless of how we have the responsibilities we do have, there is one unifier, and that is following through on those responsibilities, be it as parents, as children, as employers, as employees, and on and on. If we fail to follow through, we lack accountability and betray the trust that others have placed in us, and the glue that makes up our personal social world starts to fray. We begin to mistrust each other, and how can relationships survive lack of trust?If large scale repudiation of responsibility occurs in the society at large, as it did in the years leading up to this current economic crisis, then even more large scale fraying of the social fabric occurs. Paranoia increases, and commensurate with that, mistrust of social institutions increases. Public discourse becomes more polarized and incendiary.Thus, accountability goes hand in hand with trust, and both are essential for any society that aspires to be healthy.vitun S, the operational head expressed his views on this the issue:
To be accountable means to be responsible or answerable to someone for something. It involves taking responsibility for your own actions and being able to explain them. Accountability comes in many forms and is used in all aspects of our society.Being Accountable for Your Own Actions1. Being accountable for our own actions means that we would be able to explain to someone why we did something. We would also take responsibility for the outcome. If we were to jump off of a high wall, we would be accountable to ourselves for the fact that the laws of gravity will take over and bring us to the ground. If we act in a way that affects others, we will be held accountable to those other people for the effect that our actions had on them and would be asked to explain and stand responsible for that effect.Being Accountable for a Group's Actions2. In an effort to be "accountable for the expenditure of Recovery Act funds," the U.S. government has established a website called Recovery.gov. (See References section.) This site demonstrates accountability for a group situation and was developed to allow the American people to see where the money from the Recovery Act has gone. There are reporting procedures for anyone who has received over $25,000 from the Recovery Act. The details of those transactions are explained on the website, where anyone can check on the progress of the act. This is a detailed site that is a display of the accountability of the U.S. government for their actions in one particular matter.Accountability Enforced3. Every action that we as a people make is accountable to some law--whether it is the law of gravity or a law of decency or a law of the criminal justice system. If we cause harm to someone else or to someone's property, we can be held accountable for our actions. The criminal justice system and our court systems were enacted to enforce the laws of accountability and responsibility. For those who refuse to be accountable, there are ways for others to seek that accountability and for investigators to learn how and why something was done. This in turn helps those who want to hold the offending party responsible. Read More at link belowIt is clear accountabilty means similar things to most people. It is relavent to us because it is the best judgement for our actions.
