When it comes to accountability vs. responsibility, there are two sides that need to be weighed carefully. The most important issue here is how a company views its responsibility to its stakeholders (customers, suppliers, employees, and others). Companies that don't view their responsibility in an accountability-versus-accountability lens are like a traveler on a cloudy day: they can see the destination, but not how to get there. On the other hand, companies who view their responsibility in an accountability-versus-accountability lens are like a car with an oil change: they know exactly what needs to be done to fix the problem and when, and they take the necessary steps to do so.
Accountability is an important principle at all levels of a project: from the top down. In a micro-management function, such as that of a project manager, accountability v. responsibility is a simple matter of fulfilling organizational duties and goals. In a macro-function, such as that of an organization, this responsibility is more complex. At the highest levels, project managers are held accountable for their team members - for their actions and performance on tasks assigned by them. In larger organizations, project managers and their staffs may be held responsible for multiple projects and functions at a time.
While some project managers do not view their staffs and their tasks as separate responsibilities or even responsibilities, others do. A prime example of an organization that assumes accountability v. responsibility is a government agency such as the Environmental Protection Agency. If you were to watch this government agency's YouTube videos on accountability, you would see dozens of people speaking about how their agency is determined to protect the environment. Yet, when you ask them to describe specific accomplishments or actions that they have taken to meet this goal, they would speak about numerous task lists and reports that they have produced over time.
Another example of the difference between accountability v. responsibility is in the way that managers view themselves and their tasks. As the famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar often says, "I don't think I'm the best at what I do, but I think I'm the only one who cares." This quote refers to the fact that most employees in any large company do not view themselves as highly skilled contributors to the achievement of organizational goals. In order to be effective contributors, managers must first assume that they are highly skilled contributors. Only then can they begin to work towards achieving high levels of success.
One common example of the difference between accountability and responsibility is in the way that managers view themselves when taking responsibility for their own tasks. Many people assume that they are taking responsibility when in reality, they are not. For instance, while it is true that an employee is accountable to the employer when he or she fails to meet his or her responsibilities, this does not necessarily mean that the employee will suffer consequences for failing to meet deadlines or perform poorly. While there may be consequences when a manager fails to meet deadlines or perform poorly, this does not mean that the person is ultimately responsible for these consequences.
A common example of accountability vs. responsibility occurs when a project manager takes on a large project without proper training or understanding of the project's requirements and objectives. It is easy to see how such an individual could become easily frustrated and confused. The result could be a misunderstanding of the requirements and/or objectives, resulting in project failure. It is important to note that in all cases, it is absolutely essential that an organization's project management system and its employees understand the finer details of their tasks and the project's objectives and goals.
Another example often used in organizations is the so-called challenge-response scenario. In this scenario, the manager takes on a responsibility, which usually means taking on a big task that is not really as complex as anticipated. The end result is that the manager is not only not properly trained in the task, but is also in a big dilemma whether to take on the task at all or to get the job done within a set of guidelines. Often the latter is chosen over the former. Both accountability and responsibility are often used in workplaces, but only sometimes one is used as the norm.
When one person has more than one person responsible for a particular task, this scenario is called a mixed assignment. This means that there is some responsibility but also quite a bit of freedom for the person in charge. Sometimes it is difficult to find a middle ground in such a situation. Many people believe that it is better to assign more responsibility to one person than to have too much freedom for another. It is important to remember that although there may be some short-term gains, such a situation will not help a company very much down the road.
