Difference Between Responsibility and Accountability

The main difference between Responsibility and Accountability is that in Responsibility a person does what they are asked to do and in Accountability a person agrees to do what they are supposed to do.

Responsibility versus accountability

Responsibility is task oriented. Each individual in a team may be responsible for a certain task that is required to complete a massive project, while responsibility is what happens after a situation occurs. Responsibility can be shared. You can work with a group of people to divide responsibilities; on the other hand; Responsibility is something that can be specific to an individual based on their skill set, role, or abilities. It is how you respond and accept ownership of the results. Responsibility is centralized in defined roles, job descriptions and phenomena that must exist to achieve a goal; on the contrary,

We ourselves accept the responsibility but, on the other hand, another person holds us responsible. We can only prefer to take responsibility for something. There is no one who can assign us responsibility, while accountability means that we are responsible for our actions before someone or some authority. With regard to employment, we are told that in the context of our work we have defined responsibilities but, in reality, these are job duties assigned to us. This is responsibility. If we say or order something to be done, we do not always feel sincerely responsible or wholeheartedly committed.

What is the responsibility?

Responsibility defined as the obligation to perform or complete the assigned task. The subordinate has to complete the delegated task properly. It developed from a superior-subordinate relationship, where the junior is required to perform the task assigned by the senior. Therefore, the stream of responsibility is from the top down, since the subordinate is responsible for his superior. Responsibility is the agreement of an individual, either a boss or any other employee of the organization to perform the task or duty assigned by the boss. The one who accepts the task keeps the responsibility for the performance of it, that is, when an employee assumes responsibility for the operation, at the same time, he also becomes responsible for the consequences of it.

Types

• Operational Responsibility: Operational responsibility is the responsibility of a person to perform assigned tasks.
• Final Responsibility: Final responsibility is the ultimate responsibility of the manager, who ensures that the employees perform the task efficiently.

Responsibility is a condition of an effective and influential leader in the workplace. It was defined as assuming responsibility to ensure the fulfillment of responsibilities as expected. Accountability needs a mind shift in the workplace; leaders must be willing to give up the follower mentality and productively focus their efforts to ensure they get results. Responsibility is a way to build trust in the workplace. Companies benefit from leaders who are accountable because they can quickly identify problems and address possible solutions. It is important to illustrate examples of behaviors that employees should follow, as this can be an asset to any company because it can increase productivity. Responsibility is vital to success in the workplace. Without it, an organization can jeopardize its current and future goals. When leaders fail to deliver, the company can face a variety of losses. The business may also incur expenses because it had to hire someone else to do the work or had to use more resources to deliver the final product. Leaders who are not accountable for their actions and, in turn, their consequences, can significantly influence the customer experience. The business may also incur expenses because it had to hire someone else to do the work or had to use more resources to deliver the final product. Leaders who are not accountable for their actions and, in turn, their consequences, can significantly influence the customer experience. The business may also incur expenses because it had to hire someone else to do the work or had to use more resources to deliver the final product. Leaders who are not accountable for their actions and, in turn, their consequences, can significantly influence the customer experience.

Key differences

1. The state of having a duty, of doing whatever it takes to complete the task, is known as responsibility. The condition, in which a person is expected to take ownership of his own actions or decisions, is called responsibility.
2. Responsibility is assigned while accountability is accepted.
3. Responsibility is assigned but not completely, but there is no delegation of responsibility.
4. Responsibility relates to the obligation to perform the assigned task. On the other hand, the responsibility for the consequence of the assigned task.
5. The beginning of the responsibility is the assigned authority. Rather, accountability springs from responsibility.
6. The execution of a person is not necessarily deliberate when he is responsible. Unlike accountability, in which the person‘s performance was deliberated.
7. Responsibility is being, in which an entity is responsible before or after the task. Unlike accountability, where an entity can only be held accountable after the task has been or has not been satisfactorily performed.

Examining the points, there is no doubt that accountability builds the person responsible for the impact of the events or decisions they make. In contrast to this, impacts are not necessarily related to liability. In addition, accountability requires that a person be responsible and accountable for things; he/she does. On the contrary, responsibility assumes that a person is reliable and trustworthy to complete the tasks assigned to him.