Empirical Issues

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter looks at the empirical evidence for the reality and importance of accountability as a virtue. A virtue should manifest itself in the way its possessors act and think. The chapter begins by describing the work of an interdisciplinary team of scholars who developed two psychometric survey instruments to measure the virtue of accountability: the interpersonal accountability scale and the transcendent accountability scale. Statistical analysis of research done with the scales shows that there is good evidence for their reliability as picking out a genuine trait. Preliminary research also suggests that the trait is linked to important measures of human well-being. The chapter then looks at empirical evidence from the team’s new work as well as existing surveys that use items that plausibly measure accountability, and shows there is already considerable evidence that accountability, like other virtues, is connected to human flourishing in a number of ways. These include a sense of meaning, political and social engagement, as well as fostering relational repair after harm has been done to a relationship. The chapter then looks at the role accountability plays in current thinking in the business world, where it is increasingly recognized that the task of the leader is to cultivate a “culture of accountability.” Accountability also plays a vital and pervasive role in “12-step” organizations that seek to help people overcome addictions and achieve other important goals. Finally, many people are seeking “accountability partners” for various ends, sometimes even over the internet.