Accountability and Responsibility in the Army

Websters dictionary describes accountability as “the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable” and the DOD describes it as “The obligation imposed by law or lawful order or regulation on an officer or other person for keeping accurate record of property, documents, or funds. The person having this obligation may or may not have actual possession of the property, documents, or funds. Accountability is concerned primarily with records, while responsibility is concerned primarily with custody, care, and safekeeping” and responsibility as “the state or fact of being responsible” respectability. While some actions may be responsible, you are always held accountable for the outcome of such. Accountability can also be described as being dependable. By being dependable, soldiers arrive to work and appointments on time, meet deadlines, arrive at the right place at the right time, and always do the right thing at the right time. Morning formation is the most important formation of the day. It is vital to maintain accountability of everyone and to put out any pertinent information that is necessary to soldiers. Without accountability formation, it would be difficult for the command to fully brief soldiers about the days activities or important information.

Accountability refers to the obligation of an individual to report formally to his superior for the proper discharge of his responsibility. The person who accepts responsibility is accountable for the performance of the assigned duties. To be accountable is to be answerable for one's conduct in respect Responsibility is the obligation to perform assigned tasks, accountability is the reporting of performance. Accountability in the workplace is defined as doing the right thing consistently, day in and day out, in tasks, relationship interactions to fulfill or further the mission of the organization. Accountability also ties closely to the 7 Army Values, most notably Duty. Duty is defined as fulfilling your...