ACCOUNTABILITY

8.2 DEFINITIONS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

8.9 QUALITIES FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

MAUREEN A. MADOC

MPA-1

Accountability is about responsibilities and

relationship

Other Definitions:

*holding individuals and organizations

responsible as objectively as possible
*it refers to the spectrum of
approaches, mechanisms and
practices use by governments to
ensure that their outputs meets the
intended goals and standard
*it applies to all government agencies
that deliver public services to citizens

Key Questions?
Who is accountable to whom and for what?
Accountable for What?

Being responsible to others

Showing funders and governments that you have
accepted and fulfilled your responsibilities
(Upward accountability)
Govt and donors
upward

NGO

Being responsible to others

Being responsible for oneself

Ensuring and showing that your organisation is able to
fulfill its responsibilities
(Internal accountability)
Govt and
Donors

Internal
Own Mission,
Values, Staff,
Volunteers

NGO

Upward

External Accountability
Demonstrate that:
Activities are beneficial

Resources are spent wisely

High standards are maintained
Special status as an NGO is
merited
Through:

Annual reports (narrative)

Financial reports (accounts)
External verification (audits)
Evaluations against project goals,
standards
Publicity

Internal Accountability
Demonstrate:

Strong internal governance

Formal structures
Separation of governance and
management
Mission focussed
Highest professional and ethical
standards
Responsible resource management
and use
Through:
Internal rules, policies and procedures

Internal minutes and reports

Internal audits
Annual report and accounts

Being responsible to others

Being responsible for oneself
Sharing responsibility with others
Working with your peers and beneficiaries to ensure you fulfill your
responsibilities well
(Horizontal and Downward accountability)
Accountability Axis: Dimensions of CSO
Accountability
Internal
Own Mission,
Values, Staff,
Volunteers

Govt and
Donors

NGO

Upward

Other NGOs
and Sector
Horizontal

Downward

Beneficiaries

Horizontal
Accountability

Demonstrate that:
The sector understands its
responsibilities
The sector fulfils its
responsibilities
Through:
Codes of Conduct
Self-certification
Accreditation
Watchdogs
Databases
Information sharing and
cooperation

Downward
Accountability
Demonstrate that:
You are focused

on the
impact of your activities
You are seeking ways to fulfil
your responsibilities better
Through:
Transparency

Project evaluation
(beneficiary feedback)
Complaints and redress
procedures
Beneficiary representation

Accountability
Generator
Integrity

Law & Rules

Internal &
External
Check

1. Ensure Optimum Use of

Resource
2. End Corruption

Inspection

Audit

Monitoring
and
Evaluation

Corrective
Measures

Penalty

Awards

Accountability starts at
home

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Personal Accountability or Self Accountability

Being Accountable to Friends
Group Accountability
Professional Accountability
Public Accountability/Political Accountability

*Types of

Accountability

Accountability makes you

reliable and builds an
admirable character and
gives you a feeling of
satisfaction since you can be
trusted.

Builds self-worth
Admirable character
Better productivity
Goal setting

*Benefits of

Accountability

*"We are accountable for

our decisions in personal

life so why shouldn't we be
just as accountable in our
work life."
Catherine Pulsifer

8.9 Qualities forAccountability

1. Character
Character is the first step in this equation, but its important to
remember that every member of the team must embrace all five of these
qualities in order to achieve accountability.
Character makes trust possible. Trust makes leadership possible.
Accountability begins with character because character is based on trust.
Trust is the foundation for all human interaction; it determines who we
surround ourselves with.
If you cant trust someone, you wont count on him or her when it
counts.

2. Competence
Competence boils down to getting the job done. While
character is the root of this equation, being
trustworthy or being a good guy can only get you so far.
Think of it like this: if you were having surgery for a
life-threatening illness, would you rather have a good
surgeon who was a bad person, or a bad surgeon that
smiles a lot?
Competence matters, plain and simple. When you put
someone in a vacuum and eliminate all other qualities,
can they perform? If a person is going to be on the
same team as you, you want both competence and
character.

4. Consistency
Consistency is the synthesis of the previous three qualities. You
have character, youre competent, and youre committed.
Demonstrate those traits every day.
Consistency isnt easy to achieve. Willpower is necessary. You
must have the perseverance to put in work every day to create a
routine that will allow you to be successful.
By making yourself more successful, you are benefiting your
entire team. You ensure that you arent the weakest link. You act
as a role model for other teammates.
You engender a culture of constant work and a commitment to
excellence. Do this consistently, and you will see marked
improvement in your entire team.

5. Cohesion
Cohesion seems a little redundant at this point, doesnt it? If every
member of the team embodies the previous four qualities, then your unit
is already cohesive.
Alas, nobodys perfect, and if a teammate slips up, the rest of the team
has to be there to catch him, brush him off and go back to work.
Through all of the trials and tribulations, the team must stick together.
Adversity is not only inevitable, but also necessary. The strongest steel is
forged in the hottest fire.
After overcoming adversity, the team will have a collective pride that will
create a unifying, sinewy bond. Take pride in the fact that the collective
group can function at a higher level than any individual could. The unit
doesnt shine because youre a member; you shine because youre good
enough to be a member.
Theres an old saying when it comes to teams: Either were pulling
together or were pulling apart. Without cohesion, you cant pull
together. With cohesion, you can achieve the highest level of performance
possible.

Characteristics of accountability which shows

itsnature:
1.Accountability
cannot be delegated:
Accountability cannot be delegated as in the case of responsibility.
Even if the superior delegates his responsibility to his subordinates, he
stands still accountable to his superiors.

2.Accountability cannot be reduced:

Superiors are accountable for the acts of the subordinates. In other

words by delegating his authority, the superior cannot reduce his
accountability.

3.Accountability is always upward:

Authority and responsibility always goes downwards and accountability
goes upwards. A subordinate remains accountable to the boss above
him.

4.Accountability is unitary:
Accountability is always unitary. A subordinate should be accountable to only
one boss. In case he is made accountable to more than one boss there will be a
confusion and friction. Different bosses may give their own orders and expect
different performances. So it is essential that a subordinate is accountable to
only one boss.

5.Accountability standards:
The responsibility and accountability should be precisely fixed so as to see
whether the assigned task is completed or not. There should be specific
standards for judging the accountability.

6.The extent of accountability:

The extent of accountability of the subordinate depends upon the extent of
responsibility assigned and authority delegated to him. This means, the
subordinates are accountable only for the acts done by them within the limits
of their authority.