Exploring how individual and shared accountability shape risk management approaches in public service delivery

Original

Exploring how individual and shared accountability shape risk management approaches in public service delivery

Emily Rose Tangsgaard

Abstract

This article explores how frontline managers (FMs) approach risk management in politically salient public service contexts under individualized versus shared accountability structures, integrating theories of accountability, blame avoidance, and leadership. Drawing on individual and group interviews with 62 FMs in Danish healthcare (individualized accountability) and social services (shared accountability), the analysis shows that anticipatory blame avoidance and perceptions of formal accountability structures shape risk management approaches: FMs engage more closely in decision-making processes when accountability is shared, whereas they focus on structuring decision-making procedures when accountability is individualized. The findings illustrate that FMs actively calibrate their leadership in anticipation of blame, revealing greater individual agency than typically acknowledged in studies emphasizing informal accountability structures such as professional norms or organizational culture. By highlighting how formal accountability shapes leadership in practice, the study offers a novel, empirically grounded perspective on public leadership.