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Why do accountability and responsibility differ? The term accountability is a synonym for responsible behavior. Although the two descriptions are relatively different, many people use them interchangeably, claiming that they meant something similar. I don’t think so. It’s really two different concepts that provide key elements for efficient collaboration, delegation, and relationships at work as well as on the outside. Although commonly confused, these terms have very distinct meanings and have very different roles within personal and professional life.
Accountability vs Responsibility – Key Differences
Before starting to investigate its definitions, we’ll probably know the underlying meanings behind the various terms. Responsibility can be given by your parents if you were little when your siblings were going shopping, they were there to take care of you. Or maybe you were given the job of feeding or walking a dog with the family. Many of us have inherited responsibility for ourselves or others in early life. Accountability is an adjective that holds much higher significance, and it’s something that we rarely hear about until we’re into the business.
Responsibility. Definition
Responsibility relates directly to teamwork tasks. Management defines duties in job descriptions and delegates tasks to employees according to their competencies, but individuals in their teams must be held accountable to complete the duties. Responsibility may be individual or shared among teams.
Accountability. Definition
Accountability describes an individual’s ownership over results from a particular event. In a sense, accountability means that individuals are held accountable for describing their contribution and reporting on the success or failure of the project individually. The responsible parties will take responsibility for failure in delivering the desired results. Responsibility occurs when the responsibility is done, then reports are taken.
Accountable vs Responsible: Team Member Examples
Now that we define those words, it is time to examine specific examples.
Maria’s case
Maria leads client satisfaction through marketing. She is responsible for delegating a specific task and ensuring that the customer’s campaign is successful. This responsibility will continue to exist for some time. Let’s assume that recently launched campaigns failed and one of the biggest clients walked out of business. It turns out she over-promised the potential results due to miscalculations.
Sean’s case
As facility manager for the company Sean is responsible for maintaining the supply of office items. If his supplies run out he will be able to replace them without having to explain to any person. He is responsible only if something goes wrong or the paper is no longer restocked. It’s quite simple.
Accountability vs Responsibility: 5 ways they differ
Accountability and responsibility are two important concepts in many areas of our lives, from the workplace to our personal relationships. Though they may seem similar at first glance, there are actually several important ways in which accountability and responsibility differ.
For one thing, accountability is generally considered to be a more formal concept than responsibility. Accountability typically involves adherence to certain rules or protocols to ensure that work is done correctly and efficiently. As such, it often applies specifically to certain roles or tasks that have been designated within an organization or team. In contrast, while responsibility may also involve adhering to certain standards or expectations, it can be understood more broadly as a general attitude or mindset towards one’s work or other responsibilities.
Additionally, Accountability is typically viewed as being much more objective than responsibility. Accountability often hinges on measurable results and metrics that can be objectively assessed and evaluated by others.
On the other hand, responsibility is generally seen as being a much more subjective concept, as what constitutes fulfilling one’s responsibilities will vary greatly depending on the individual context and circumstances. This means that there is no clear set of criteria for determining whether someone has met their responsibilities in a given situation – instead, it will largely depend on the person’s own judgment and perception of the situation.
Furthermore, Accountability tends to focus primarily on outcomes rather than processes – that is, Accountability focuses much more on getting things done rather than how those things are accomplished.
Responsibility, by contrast, places greater emphasis on establishing good processes for working through various challenges and obstacles in life. This can mean making plans or setting goals in advance as well as consistently reflecting on how one’s actions contributed to achieving those goals or overcoming those challenges.
Ultimately, Accountability tends to keep us focused on external results while Responsibility urges us to stay focused on actively engaging with the world around us at all times.
Personal Responsibility and Accountability at Work
While one can be responsible for completing tasks or managing projects, he or she must also be held accountable to do everything properly. These apply to a project team along with all the others involved in a contribution process.
For a company to be held accountable at work everyone is required to assume personal responsibility for their activities.
Reducing the burden on employees will lead to less frequent turnover and happier employees. Individual ownership will help empower people and show their contribution to your projects. Achieving employee accountability also improves customer service.
Owning everything individually helps you avoid confusion between staff members who are not entirely sure who’s responsible for the job and causing delays to customers.
It’s also helpful to document responsibilities and accountability in team members’ job descriptions when hiring new employees.
Why are Accountability and Responsibility Important in the Workplace?
The need for accountable processes is vital in promoting employees’ claim of ownership in working. The importance of positive accountability can motivate each team member and discourage the “blame game” if expectations do not meet the expected.
Creating an effective workplace accountability system requires putting forth clear goals as well as defining roles. Those who lack responsibility may be frustrated in the work environment and prone to turnover.
Responsibility at Work and the Benefits
Responsible work is crucial. This means employees must feel responsible for new projects and appreciate the value of this process. Then there is the foundation of responsibility, however, it will be the motivation and inspiration for a group of people to take personal responsibility for their work. As example –
Act on the feedback you get to improve company procedures and interactions
Leading by example, making suggestions into actions based on the feedback you have asked or received. Demonstrate responsible and accountable behavior and project outcomes so that your team has a chance to encourage their colleagues to follow suit.
When a company can easily see that it puts a lot of work on its hands, its employees will likely do so in demonstrating their responsibility.
Make an effort to understand the perspectives of others
This work involves knowing the responsibility and then finding the appropriate balance of expectations and methods to ensure they are responsible for their job.
Make weekly team meetings a place where you can understand and assign responsibility and ensure that you ask questions about what you are working on and what you are thinking of.
Why is Responsibility Important?
Responsibility is essential to understand the role of employees. Employee autonomy in their work increases employee engagement. Individual responsibility focuses on completing tasks in an assignment and assists each team member in reaching measurable goals and/or achieving particular outcomes.
The Importance of Accountability
You can look for adjectives like consequences or wrongdoing if you are looking at personal accountability for yourself. It’s definitely not a bad thing — especially in a workplace where accountability comes naturally.
When a person has responsibility, they accept responsibility for their actions — either positive or negative. It’s a good thing that we can keep our obligations, but this will happen only if the result occurs.
But true leaders take risks and can keep their outcomes accountable, despite the uncertainty.
How do I Create Accountability?
To encourage accountability, two or multiple people must know about the commitment and have the ability to ensure their completion. Clarity is crucial when developing an accountability culture. When the expectation is unclear the difference between success and failure is sometimes blurry resulting in accountability gaps. This could mean implementing SMART goals at work that define tasks with clear definitions.
In Conclusion
This article has provided you with a brief overview of the differences between accountability and responsibility. You should now be able to distinguish between the two terms and understand their roles in the workplace.
