The Huge Difference Between Transparency And Accountability
What’s the distinction between transparency and accountability?
I know, people confuse these two terms pretty often.
It’s more or less when it comes to being responsible and accountable.
They are strictly correlated but do not have the same principle.
Even the most experienced professionals sometimes struggle to separate these two essential concepts.
In my over seven years of experience as an account manager, I can tell you that they are very different.
That’s why I created this informative guide for everyone, from newcomers to experts.
I’ll also provide clear examples of accountability and transparency based on my experience, to make everything clearer.
TL;DR
Transparency and accountability are two distinct concepts that should not be confused.
Transparency is communicating openly and honestly, while accountability is about taking responsibility for your actions.
Understanding These Two Concepts
Transparency and accountability are related concepts but have distinct meanings.
Do you want to become a leader or improve your team’s morale, right?
Then, you need to understand the difference between transparency and accountability.
What is Transparency
Transparency is the practice of communicating openly, honestly, and completely.
It means the information about the organization’s decisions, policies, goals, and activities is clear and available to everyone.
Transparency focuses on clarity by giving stakeholders access to information needed to understand the decisions made in their name or on their behalf.
This includes internal operations like salaries and process flow and external elements such as customer service policies in a business setting.
Numerous studies have shown that improved corporate transparency can increase trust between employees and management teams, boosting performance outcomes.
Additionally, transparent organizations enjoy more success in recruitment processes due to greater public confidence, which is built up through positive communication with interested applicants.
What is Accountability
Being accountable means taking responsibility for your words and actions.
It means being reliable, answerable to someone or a group of people, and fulfilling commitments that you have made.
It’s one of the 20 essential qualities of a leader, and everyone should strive to develop this important skill.
Accountability is also about staying on track and adhering to your organization’s goals, objectives, and policies.
Taking accountability encourages individuals within an organization to be proactive problem solvers who take ownership of their decisions and results attained from them.
In this way, accountability supports organizational effectiveness in both the public and private sectors.
Transparency vs Accountability
I like to say that becoming transparent is just one of the many steps of the accountability ladder.
These concepts, though interrelated, have distinct implications for organizational health and effectiveness.
| Transparency | Accountability |
|---|---|
| Emphasizes open access to information and processes. | Focuses on taking responsibility for actions and outcomes. |
| Facilitates informed decision-making among stakeholders. | Requires individuals to own their decisions and the consequences that follow. |
| Builds trust and fosters a culture of honesty within the organization or in a relationship. | Strengthens integrity and engenders a sense of duty and reliability. |
| Manifests in clear communication and readily available information. | Manifests in proactive problem-solving and constructive feedback. |
| Acts as a foundation for accountability, setting the stage for responsible action. | Requires a personal commitment to uphold values and standards, regardless of scrutiny. |
Transparency provides the scaffolding for a workplace where information flows freely, enabling everyone to contribute effectively to the organization’s mission.
Conversely, accountability is the inner compass that guides employees to act responsibly and ethically, even when no one is watching.
What is an example of accountability and transparency?
Still confused about the difference between being transparent and accountable?
Here are some examples to better understand what changes between these two concepts.
Example of transparency
An example of transparency that I really like is when a company clearly explains the reasons for a decision made.
For instance, I recently had to change the agency working in a specific area of my company because the performance was really low.
Nothing has changed even though I have been transparent about the consequences of not taking action on this issue for over a year.
So I was forced to give them the bad news, but on the other hand, I’ve always been transparent by fearlessly addressing the problem and explaining what was going on.
Example of accountability
As an account manager, I’m responsible for the performance of my team and the turnover of the areas assigned to me.
In this case, I had to take responsibility for what was happening with the previous agency and take action.
Being accountable, in this example, means I am now in charge of finding a new, better-performing agency that will listen to me, as I am responsible for their performance.
A lack of accountability would be, for example, blaming them if they won’t perform as expected and not taking my own responsibilities.
How does transparency equate to accountability?
Transparency equates to accountability in the workplace because the employees feel more responsible for their decisions.
By making information public through transparency holds all those involved accountable for their actions since they cannot hide behind a lack of knowledge when an issue arises.
In fact, they must explicitly take responsibility and own up to their mistakes or successes.
This allows everyone to work together toward achieving better results and become a great accountability partner.
It also prevents any potential cover-ups or errors from occurring later.
Transparency gives everyone in a company, from managers to employees, access to all the information they need.
This helps them make smart decisions that benefit both themselves and the whole team.
And of course, this transparency creates trust in all aspects of their work.
Conclusion
Transparency and accountability are not the same but come hand-in-hand with each other.
Transparency focuses on clarity and openness of the culture at the workplace.
Accountability focuses on developing responsible behavior toward tasks or goals given.
And as you’ve probably already guessed, they’re both skills you should develop to become a leader or the best version of yourself!
FAQs
How do you define transparent behavior?
Transparent behavior means open and straightforward communication among people within organizations and with other stakeholders and civil society.
What does it mean to be accountable?
Being accountable means being responsible for your or someone else’s actions and the results achieved.
Why is achieving both transparency and accountability important?
Transparency and accountability create a better workplace and civil society.
Access to information leads to more motivation and increases general morale.
