RESPONSIBILITY VS. ACCOUNTABILITY

In the world of work, the terms “responsibility” and “accountability” are thrown around quite a bit. Some people may use them interchangeably, but I believe they have two distinctly different meanings. I strongly encourage taking the time to get clear on the distinctions between these two terms so you can significantly enhance your organization’s efficiency, decision-making, and workplace culture.

Responsibility is all about getting things done — it’s the actions you take to make things happen when you and your team are given tasks or goals to work on. Responsibilities can be shared among a group, and as a concept, it’s really about who’s handling what part of the task.

Accountability, on the other hand, goes a step beyond responsibility by focusing on the aftermath of task completion. It’s about what happens after the work is completed, owning the results (whether great or not so great), and accepting the consequences of our decisions.

Read more in Clarifying Roles: Accountability vs. Responsibility. 

These concepts, while different, are deeply interconnected. Being a great leader and running a company that is focused, aligned, and thriving requires creating agreements surrounding accountability and responsibility across and up and down your organization. This ensures that tasks are completed (responsibility) and that there’s ownership of the outcomes — good, bad, or otherwise (accountability). It’s nearly impossible to make smart, informed decisions without clarity around both of these ideas. So as founders, investing the time and energy to create that clarity is invaluable to our companies’ structures, strategies, and overall success.

PERSPECTIVES

“Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The enemy of accountability is ambiguity.” ― Patrick Lencioni

MARK MY WORDS

Those of us in leadership roles should consider the subtle yet important nuances between responsibility and accountability in order to help our people communicate better and streamline workflows.

For example, when it comes to responsibility, keep in mind that it generally is a shared effort. There are exceptions to this, but multiple people often share responsibility for a single task, especially when working in teams. An example of this would be a product update or marketing campaign in which you have several team members (sometimes across more than one Core Function) working toward a common goal. Conversely, accountability should only be owned by one person, such as a team leader or department head, so it’s clear who is ultimately responsible for the results. 

Understanding these key differences and leveraging agreements helps support a culture of transparency (read the blog for more on this) where your people feel respected, heard, and valued for their contributions. 

Clarifying these terms not just for yourself but for your entire organization is a simple yet impactful way to start laying the foundation for a high-trust company you’ll love forever.

TUNE IN

Join me in a new series on the Stages of Development, one of Ninety’s foundational frameworks for measuring your company’s progress and charting its growth. I’m diving into the specifics of Stage 1, including the importance of establishing product/market fit to attract both customers and investors.