Authority, Accountability, Responsibility: What Do They Mean?

Authority, Accountability, Responsibility: What Do They Mean?

As a manager, you have the authority to allocate resources, make decisions and take certain

actions. You may be held accountable for doing so, and also be required to take responsibility for

seeing that the job gets done. You will also be subject to the authority of others. This article

examines each of these concepts in turn and looks at the possible tensions that may arise between

them.

Authority

Authority is largely concerned with rights and power. A manager will usually have the authority to carry out

certain activities to ensure that team/departmental/organisational objectives are met. These might include

the authority to assign tasks, call meetings, spend budget etc. For certain roles within an organisation this

authority will also be backed by legal rights.

Traditionally, authority in organisations has tended to occur from the top of an organisation down, although

as organisational structures get flatter, and there is a greater emphasis on collaborative working, this is

becoming less the case.

Accountability

This can be summed up neatly by the phrase ¡®The buck stops here¡¯. Accountability ultimately means being

answerable for your actions ¨C and prepared to take the consequences ¨C be they good, bad or indifferent.

Accountability arises from responsibility and is also linked to authority; the more authority you have, the

more accountable you are.

Responsibility

Responsibility means a duty or obligation to do something, e.g. to carry out a particular task or function,

often to a required standard. In general, responsibility can be said to come from the bottom of the

organisation up. As you develop your management skills and expertise, for example, you will be given

increasing responsibility, and may in turn give greater responsibility to those you manage.

The importance of clear ¡®lines of command¡¯

Let¡¯s use the scenario of bringing a product to market to explain the relationships between the three

elements.

A senior manager has been given the authority to bring a new product to market ¨C a process which will

involve several key stages. She will ultimately be accountable to the Board for ensuring the product is

successful. She is responsible for co-ordinating the entire product development process. The senior

manager briefs one of her direct reports, and asks him to be responsible for putting together the product

launch plan. A week later this line manager meets with his team, gives them his plan and asks each team

member to take responsibility for delivering a particular part of it. He also makes it clear to his team that he

is relying on them to do a good job as he, ultimately will be accountable to his manager for the success or

failure of the launch strategy.

As with so many things, clarity and good communication are key to ensuring that the work gets done

properly. How many times have you heard someone in your organisation say ¡®So who is supposed to be

responsible for this?¡¯ Without some fairly explicit instructions around who is responsible and accountable for

what, confusion and disagreement are likely to follow.

Sources of tension

Even when expectations are clearly expressed, there can be tension between the different levels discussed.

For example, where a manager is perceived to lack ability or credibility in their role, team members may be

quick to challenge their manager¡¯s authority. ¡®You can¡¯t tell me what to do.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not taking responsibility for

that.¡¯

Where there is a climate of fear or mistrust, employees, managers and leaders may all engage in

¡®buck-passing¡¯ for fear that they are held to account for an action or decision they make that could be used

against them at a later date.

Similarly, in group situations, certain team members may try to ¡®hide in the shadows¡¯, allowing more vocal

team members to take responsibility, and ultimately be accountable, for the work that gets done.

Top tips for getting the balance right

To avoid some of the problems detailed above, there are certain steps that you, as a manager, can take:

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Lead by example ¨C take responsibility for your own actions. If you have tried something that hasn¡¯t

worked, be as up front about it as possible and try to learn from your mistakes. This will help to build

your credibility, and create a climate of openness and honesty in your team.

Set expectations ¨C your team members need to be clear about where their, and indeed your, input

into tasks and projects begins and ends. Before embarking on any significant pieces of work, sit

down with your team to discuss roles, responsibilities and levels of authority/autonomy, and ensure

that everyone is clear about them.

Avoid micro-management ¨C this can be particularly hard if you are a new manager. But by showing

trust in your team, and allowing employees to explore their own ways of doing things, you will help

build confidence, and encourage employees to take responsibilty for their actions.

Offer regular praise ¨C praise and recognition for work well done is important for keeping your team

members motivated. This in turn can encourage team members to seek or accept more responsibility

moving forward.

Deliver constructive feedback ¨C as well as praising team members for their efforts, it is equally

important to discuss aspects of their work that could be improved. When giving constructive

feedback remember to have evidence to back up your comments and always seek the input of the

team member(s) with regard to what they could do differently.

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