# The Possibilities of Accountability

*Roberts · Voice & Silence · Accounting, Organizations and Society · 1991 · Open access*

A foundational theoretical paper that reconceives accountability as a relational dynamic between an account-giver and a recipient, rather than a mechanism for assigning fault. Roberts distinguishes two forms: individualising accountability (hierarchical, disciplinary, which isolates and silences) and socialising accountability (dialogic, relational, which enables honest account-giving and collective learning). The paper is the intellectual origin of the argument that accountability and psychological safety are not opposites but mutually dependent — genuine accountability requires the relational conditions in which honest speech is possible. Directly relevant to the PS literature's treatment of voice, silence, and the interpersonal conditions for learning.

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- **View the source paper:** https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/036136829190027C
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## Connected concepts (12)

- [Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/edmondson-1999.md) (paper)
- [Calculus of Voice](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/the-calculus-of-voice.md)
- [Accountability](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/accountability.md)
- [Accountability: The Neglected Social Context of Judgment and Choice](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/tetlock-1985.md) (paper)
- [Leadership Behavior and Employee Voice: Is the Door Really Open?](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/detert-burris-2007.md) (paper)
- [Organizational Silence: A Barrier to Change and Development in a Pluralistic World](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/morrison-milliken-2000.md) (paper)
- [The Criminalization of Human Error in Aviation and Healthcare: A Review](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/dekker-2011-criminalisation.md) (paper)
- [A Question of Trust](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/oneill-2002.md) (paper)
- [Blametropism](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/blametropism.md)
- [Just Culture](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/just-culture.md)
- [Learning from Error](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/learning-from-error-or-punishing-it.md)
- [Barriers to PS](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/barriers-to-psychological-safety.md)