(Newscko) ─ Self accountability, referred to as personal accountability, means being responsible for their own decisions and actions. This article demonstrates how self accountability is a prerequisite of practicing accountability. For explaining this association, let us examine what personal accountability and accountability are.

What is Self-Accountability?

Self accountability is the foundation of your ethical behavior. Besides, it is your discipline and culture, and you are 100% the owner of it. It is in that a person’s personality and integrity are formed. 

Specifically, personal accountability reveals how a person is answerable to oneself for doing things appropriate to an accepted standard. It demands the person to fulfill his or her duties, obligations, expectations, and other responsibilities. Furthermore, he or she takes responsibility for the outcomes of the above-mentioned demands fulfilled.

For example, you must have heard the phrase, “The buck stops here.” U.S. President Harry S. Truman popularized the term. In this situation, personal accountability reflects that the President takes ultimate responsibility for his decision-making and resulting actions.

What is Accountability?

Several academic studies (e.g., Lee Bagley 2010; Cornell et al., 2011; and Ramanna 2013) note that accountability, in essence, is revealed as answerable to others for performing as stated by or in the appropriate standards which demand individuals or groups to fulfill their duties, obligations, expectations, and other responsibilities. Thus, accountability assists others in clarifying and explaining their manner, conduct, and behavior. Furthermore, it allows people to scrutinize their behavior and judgment and provide approval, acceptance, or support in their performance and actions.

Self Accountability and Accountability Concerning Governance

Self accountability signifies yourself as an adult. “It purports you are honest and genuine,” says Dr. Joy Chacko, a research Strategist for business growth. It shows you are reliable and people can count on you. While personal accountability is answerable to oneself, accountability is answerable to others. Accountability involves governance. Accountability, concerning governance, is answerability. 

More specifically, while accountability is the acceptance of responsibility for own actions and taking responsibility for resulting consequences, governance (corporate governance) is “the system of rules, practices and processes by which a company is directed and controlled.”-The Governance Institute (ICSA.Org). Hence, personal accountability is the cornerstone of accountability and sound governance. Indeed, it all starts with self accountability. Lack of accountability can lead to corruption and fraud. Specifically, a decline in political accountability increases widespread corruption. Undoubtedly, corruption leads to unemployment and poverty. 

There are several benefits of a person possessing personal accountability. Self accountability embraces healthier relationships with others. It helps you to build trust. It supports your chances of improvement towards becoming a great leader. Leadership requires accountability and governance. Earlier, Newscko reported that great leadership requires good governance. Therefore, you need to assess what self accountability means to you and your business. 

Once you assessed the gaps, you need to improve your self accountability. Theoretically, this process of improvement in self accountability would help you from trying to shift blame for your failed behavior to others, and consequently from you getting included in the behavior of narcissist, sociopath, hysteric, among similar others. Therefore, self accountability is a prerequisite of practicing accountability which intern supports constitute good governance.

References:

1. Lee Bagley, Penelope. 2010. “Negative Affect: A Consequence of Multiple Accountabilities in Auditing.” Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory 29 (2): 141–57.
   
2. Cornell, Robert M., Martha M. Eining, and Paul Jen-Hwa Hu. 2011. “The Effects of Process Accountability on Individuals’ Use of a Familiar Technology.” Journal of Information Systems 25 (1): 109–28.
   
3. Ramanna, Karthik. 2013. “A Framework for Research on Corporate Accountability Reporting.” Accounting Horizons 27 (2): 409–32.