In the social and organizational sciences, accountability has been linked to the efficient operation of organizations. However, it has received limited attention in software engineering (SE) research, in spite of its central role in the most popular software development methods (e.g., Scrum). In this article, we explore the mechanisms of accountability in SE environments. We investigate the factors that foster software engineers' individual accountability within their teams through an interview study with 12 people. Our findings recognize two primary forms of accountability shaping software engineers individual senses of accountability: institutionalized and grassroots. While the former is directed by formal processes and mechanisms, like performance reviews, grassroots accountability arises organically within teams, driven by factors such as peers' expectations and intrinsic motivation. This organic form cultivates a shared sense of collective responsibility, emanating from shared team standards and individual engineers' inner commitment to their personal, professional values, and self-set standards. While institutionalized accountability relies on traditional "carrot and stick" approaches, such as financial incentives or denial of promotions, grassroots accountability operates on reciprocity with peers and intrinsic motivations, like maintaining one's reputation in the team.

翻译：在社会与组织科学中，问责制已被证明与组织的高效运作密切相关。然而，在软件工程研究中，尽管问责制在主流软件开发方法（如Scrum）中扮演核心角色，却未受到充分关注。本文探索了软件工程环境中的问责机制。我们通过对12名受访者的访谈研究，考察了促进软件工程师在其团队内形成个体问责感的因素。研究结果揭示了塑造软件工程师个体问责感的两种主要形式：制度化问责与草根问责。前者受绩效评估等正式流程与机制引导，而后者则源于团队内部的自发形成，受同伴期望与内在动机等因素驱动。这种自组织形式通过共享的团队标准、工程师个人对职业价值观的内心承诺以及自我设定的标准，培育出集体责任感。制度化问责依赖传统的“胡萝卜加大棒”策略（如经济激励或晋升受阻），而草根问责则基于同伴互惠与内在动机（如在团队中维护个人声誉）发挥作用。