responsibility to someone or for some activity
"The new policy ensures full accountability for every financial decision made by the department."
The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; liability to be held responsible or answerable for something.
"The new policy emphasizes accountability by requiring managers to directly face the consequences of their department's budget decisions."
In plain English: Accountability means taking responsibility for your actions and owning up to them when things go wrong.
"The manager emphasized that every team member needs to take full accountability for their actions during the project review."
Usage: Accountability refers specifically to the obligation to explain and justify one's actions, distinct from general responsibility which can simply mean having a duty. Use this term when emphasizing that someone must face consequences or provide answers if things go wrong.
The word accountability comes from the adjective accountable combined with the suffix -ity. It originally meant the state of being answerable or responsible for something.