The Public Sector Accountant in Budgeting Process by Commitment: Making Budgets Real For Innovative Management System and Improved Employees’ Performance in 21st Century Developing Economies
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A public sector accountant occupies a conspicuous position in the management system of public sector institutions. If there is anything that makes the position of an accountant felt in any public sector setting, it is the budget. The view of human nature held by a public sector accountant and his preferred style of leadership (authoritarian or humanistic) will determine to a great extent the nature of a budget. Employees in public sector institutions will react negatively to the authoritarian accountant budget but in an organization where the budget maker (accountant) is humanistic, organizational effectiveness is achieved. While conceding the fact that certain public sector settings may require a certain element of authoritarian budgetary system, the writer of this paper submits that the commitment of all levels of the organization in setting their budget goals produces better results as far as the effectiveness and efficiency of budgetary system are concerned. The unconcerned attitude of public sector accountants towards current researches in budgetary theory and practice, the falling standard of work morale and motivation, the declining trend of performance standards in public sector institutions, the magnitude of corruption and consequential economic depression in many developing economies have raised serious concern. The writer of this paper asserts: In the public sector of a developing economy (such as Nigeria), budgeting by commitment is admittedly a cure. Committing the employees in the budgeting process will make the budget real. It will harness the budgetary system, trigger budget acceptance, boost work morale and motivation, secure the goals-loop, strengthen interpersonal trust and shared feeling of confidence among organizational participants and ultimately steer the efforts of all organizational members towards improved performance. But these benefits do not automatically arise from the budgeting process. They must be worked for.
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