But one who feels responsible truly believes that what they need to do is important. Authority refers to the right to make decision and to command subordinate to follow these decisions. He derives his authority from his formal position in the organization. Authority and responsibility go side by side. Authority denotes granting of power. In other words, the delegant must determine clearly the task or duty that is assigned to the delegate. In management science authority, responsibility and accountability are three terms around which the whole set of managerial activities cluster. But authority can be delegated. According to R.C. People use the word responsibility in different senses as referring to a duty, an activity or an authority. 3. Hence, it includes the powers to assign duties to the subordinates and make them accept and follow it. At the same time, the superior is accountable for the performance of his subordinate. Authority is nothing but the rights or the powers with the executives which the organization provides them with the aim of accomplishment of certain common organizational goals. In the words of Theo Haimann, "Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform the duty as required by his superior". Unlike authority, responsibility, though a personal attribute, is absolute and can never be delegated. Responsibility is the obligation to do something. It can be expressed by a list of specific duties which must be fulfilled to accomplish the function. Authority, Responsibility and Accountability in Management, Authority, Responsibility and Accountability – With Explanation, Authority, Responsibility and Accountability in Management – With Features. 7. According to this theory, an individual derives authority from his personal competence and charisma. It is the supreme coordinating power and is very important for the managerial job. Accountability always flows upwards; it is the act of being liable for actions and decisions. The person accepting responsibility is accountable for the performance of assigned duties. Nobody wants to lose power because power can be used in desirable or undesirable ways. It is immaterial whether the authority is exercised through persuasion, coercion or economic and social sanctions or other means. The subordinates are aware of the fact that if they disregard the formal authority they will be punished according to the rules and regulations of the company. It refers that a subordinate is answerable under his obligation. Formal authority is reduced to nominal authority if it is not accepted by the subordinates. It is the right to issue orders, instructions and decisions to be implemented by the people down the hierarchy. Definitions of accountability and responsibility are largely similar upon first glance, but worry not! Thus, by observing above cited definitions one can conclude that authority involves three elements viz., power to use directions and make decisions, the right to compel for its obedience and the power to influence the behaviour or actions of the sub-ordinates. To carry out responsibility, a manager requires adequate authority or power. Paul Gillard, PhD & Rachel Radwinsky, PhD herethink to be accountable is to be held culpable for your actions, even that “If you are responsible for something, you are also accountable”. Uploader Agreement. Every departmental head controls the activities of his department and is assisted by various staff specialists in doing so. Market forces and other economic conditions restrict managerial authority. A sub-ordinate accepts the authority of his superior because of certain factors obeying out of superiority, responding to the quality of leadership representing the duly constituted authorities, obtaining rewards and incentive from his superior, contribution to the realization of organization objective. From management’s point of view as George R. Terry has put it -“Responsibility is the obligation of a person to achieve the results mutually determined by means of participation by his superiors and himself.”. Some scholars say that authority is the power to make decisions and some opinion that it is a right and power to influence others. On the other hand, answerability for the consequence of the delegated task. Essence of responsibility is to perform duty assigned to him. When authority is delegated then some responsibility for getting the assigned task is also fixed. Authority is exercised to achieve organizational goals. Social factors impose restrictions on the exercise of authority by a manager. It empowers an individual to take decisions. So with the above discussion one can say that without authority, a manager ceases to be a manager. On the basis of above definitions, the following features of authority can be identified: 1. Simply stated, accountability means that the subordinate should explain the factors responsible for non-performance or lack of performance. Responsibility and accountability are not synonyms but are two terms. One alone cannot move. In other words, a communication carries authority if it is accepted by the recipients as authoritative. It exists when an influencer acknowledge that the influencer is lawfully entitled to exert influence. In having the study of power the role of the influence in accepting or rejecting the attempted influence is very important. If they do not have a feeling of regard for them, they may not obey their orders. Here’s how the two are different. Every manager can see that his orders are executed by persuasion, coercion or economic social sanctions. Authority needs the ability to give orders and instructions, whereas responsibility demands the ability of compliance or obedience, to follow orders. It arises from the superior-subordinate relationship, i.e., from the fact that someone has the authority to require specified services from another person. Image Guidelines 4. If the marketing manager directs the sales sup… 5. Functional authority is limited to a particular specialized area. In the end, authority and responsibility are two sides of a coin. Social beliefs, goals habits and customs. It is always bonded between superior and sub-ordinate. Acceptance authority are the products of leadership. Accountability neither can be shared nor delegated. Content Filtration 6. Responsibility is in the form of a continuing obligation. They may enjoy any of the line, staff or functional authority. 4. Physical limitations such as climate, geography, chemical elements and so on put limits on authority, for example, an order to make gold from copper will be ineffectual. Determination of duties in terms of objectives will enable the sub-ordinate to know by what standards his performance will be evaluated. In order to enable the sub-ordinate to perform his responsibility well, the superior must clearly tell the former as to what is expected of him. Responsibility, if accepted, has to be fulfilled. In a business organization a manager is vested with official and legal authority which empowers him to assign tasks and responsibility to his subordinates and demand accountability from them in respect of performance of those tasks and responsibility. In the process of delegation, the superior transfers his duties/responsibilities to his subordinate and also give necessary authority for performing the responsibilities assigned. Every manager, at any level in the organization, must respect these laws, traditions and restrictions. Authority – ‘Authority’ means ‘Legal or rightful power, a right to command or to act’. The former people have an authority. One can delegate authority […] If a sub-ordinate is asked to control the operation of a machine, the duty is in terms of function. Thus, authority is generated from all sources. This work is very important. The three terms, Authority, Responsibility and Accountability are inter-related. The former occupy a superior position, while the latter are placed in a subordinate position. it is inherent in the task assigned. Accountability arises out of responsibility and the two go together. People will go to him for guidance in that matter even though he has got no formal authority. Subordinates obey the manager because of the fear of losing financial rewards. Responsibility is assigned whereas accountability is accepted. Responsibility without authority is as meaningless as authority without responsibility. When this occurs, the subordinate is never certain who will call him to account for a specific activity and since the personalities and demands of different individuals differ widely, he can never hope to satisfy two different people with the same handling of the problem. There should be a parity between the two. According to Urwick, formal authority is conferred by organization; technical authority is implicit in a special knowledge or skill whereas personal authority is conferred by superiority or popularity. However, responsibility is always result-oriented so far as the management is concerned. This authority is exercised by staff specialists who do not form part of the formal chain of command. It is the authority which enables him to discharge the important functions of planning, coordination, motivation and controlling, etc., in an enterprise. Authority and accountability are a series in which parts are distributed to other team members. In other words, authority flows downwards. The duty must be expressed either in terms of function or in terms of objectives. 9. The origin of responsibility is the assigned authority. An important principle of management governing this basic relationship is that of single accountability. In an organisation, responsibility is the duty as per the guidelines issued. If a person has power it means that he is able to change the attitude of other individuals”. It is his responsibility. When a manager delegates a task, he assigns duties and delegates the required authority so that his subordinates can accomplish the task. It is a legitimate right and given to position i.e., formal. While concluding the meaning of authority it can be said that authority in ordinary sense of the term is nothing more than a legal right. Thus, accountability is a derivative of responsibility. These terms are: 1) Responsibility, 2) Authority, and 3) Accountability. If the managers do not possess required authority, they will not be able to perform their duties properly. Davis, – “Responsibility is the obligation of an individual to perform assigned duties to the best of his ability under the direction of his executive leader”. The person holding the position has to perform the duty assigned. Usually, authority flows downwards whereas accountability flow upwards. For more information, see our Cookie Policy. ADVERTISEMENTS: Responsibility, Power and Accountability in Organization! Authority is one of the founding stones of formal and informal organisations. The relationship of authority and subordination among the various personnel and groups should be properly determined. It is the answerability for performance of the assigned duties. Shareholders entrust the management of the company to the board of directors and delegate to it most of their authority. They extend of delegation of authority also restricts the authority of a manager. Accountability is something more than responsibility. Authority is the key to managerial functions. It is an obligation of a sub-ordinate to perform assigned duties. If the subordinate does a poor job, the superior cannot evade the responsibility by stating that poor performance is the fault of the subordinate. Privacy Policy 9. McFarland defines responsibility as "the duties and activities assigned to a position or an executive". Thus, it is stated that authority should go with responsibility. What have been the results? It is his responsibility. Without authority, a manager ceases to be a manager, because he cannot get his policies carried out through others. But accountability in itself cannot be delegated. In the following lines, their explanation has been given: Chester Barnard has defined authority as a character of “an order in the informal organisation by virtue of which it is accepted by the members of that organisation as governing the action, that is governing or determining what they are to do or not to do, so far as the organisation is concerned.”. It is neither authority nor responsibility. The greater the responsibility attached to a post, the higher will be the position of the person holding the post, in the hierarchy. Applied to the managerial jobs, the power of the superior to command the subordinate to act or not to act in a particular manner, is called the ‘authority’. The term responsibility is often referred to as an obligation to perform a particular task assigned to a subordinate. If proper authority is not vested in him, he cannot perform these functions in the required manner and he cannot be held responsible for all these functions in the absence of proper authorities. Authority cannot be concentrated in the hands of one or a few individuals. Authority is concentrated at the top. Authority is the kind of right and power through which it guides and directs the actions of others so that the organizational goals can be achieved. They hold the view that the authority is the relationship that exists between individuals when one accepts the directive of another. We are stronger as a collaborative group than a self-absorbed individual. Subordinates accept the formal authority of a manager because of his position in the organization. Select Accept cookies to consent to this use or Manage preferences to make your cookie choices. A manager has authority if he gets obedience from the subordinates. Authority is the right or power assigned to an executive or a manager in order to achieve certain organizational objectives. Formal authority is basic to managerial job. According to Simon, “Authority may be defined as the power to make decisions which guide the actions of others”. In this connection, the following principle is to be followed. It is hard to conceive responsibility without authority. It then in turn lets people feel like you can be counted on. Report a Violation 11. Some have authority and others take up responsibility. Authority Responsibility Accountability. These terms are: 1) Responsibility, 2) Authority, and 3) Accountability. The board of directors delegates authority to the chief executive and chief executive in turn to the departmental managers, and so on. A person must choose to take responsibility for something themselves. Authority conferred by law is also regarded as formal authority. A person is always accountable to the person who has delegated responsibility and authority to him. According to Davis, "Responsibility is an obligation of individual to perform assigned duties to the best of his ability under the direction of his executive leader." They have written that there are five sources of power which are found at all levels of the organization. It depends to a large extend on the personal traits of leadership, ability to persuade others to work well to accomplish organization goals. Every subordinate has to perform the duty assigned to him. It arises out of superior and sub-ordinate relationships. 2. Conclusion – Authority and Responsibility. Whether orders and instructions issued have been followed in fulfilling the responsibility? Authority seems to flow from the superiors to the subordinates. Dealer, supplier and customer agreements, 4. Every employee/manager is accountable for the job assigned to him. No organization can do anything without delegation and assignment of responsibilities to various positions and jobs. To be clear, responsibility is essential in organizations. In the military, the concept of accountability is used to indicate the duty and an officer to maintain accurate records and to safeguard public property and funds. This power is based on the influencer having the ability to reward the influence for carrying out orders. The appointment and responsibilities for the accountable authority are set out in legislation. 8. It is an absolute and cannot be delegated. Power may be defined as “the ability to exert influence. They really go hand in hand with each other. Every employee is answerable to his superior for the accomplishment of the task assigned to him. So the necessity here arises to know about these to three terms in detail. See our, Shankar Lahiri MSc Cybersecurity BE CCNA CEH 1G Visa Holder Seeking Full Time Job in Ireland. 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