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 – and prepared to take the consequences – 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 – 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:
 Lead by example – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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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Authority, Accountability, Responsibility: What Do They Mean?

The importance of clear ‘lines of command’

Top tips for getting the balance right

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