What is Responsibility: Definition, concept and meaning

Responsibility in management refers to duties assigned based on one’s role within the company. This article details responsibility’s definition, key traits, and management strategies for assigning tasks.

By Brad Nakase, Attorney

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By Douglas Wade, Attorney

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Idea of Responsibility

3. Illustration of the Idea of Responsibility

Introduction

The management literature uses the word “responsibility” in two different ways. Some authors define it as a task or duty that is delegated to a subordinate based on that person’s standing within the company. One’s responsibilities also include having the obligation to carry out the tasks or duties that have been delegated to him. Let us examine responsibility in detail, including its definition and traits.

The Idea of Responsibility

Responsibility is the duty to carry out specific actions in order to accomplish specific goals. The key traits or attributes of responsibilities are as follows:

Only humans can be given responsibilities by an organization; non-living things like machinery, equipment, etc. cannot.
It results from a relationship between a superior and a subordinate. It lays down the appropriate authority for a senior to convey his staff to execute their duty. Thus, he gives subordinates tasks in order to achieve this goal. It is the subordinates’ responsibility to do the tasks given to them.
Leadership can give this worker the assignment of performing a specific job requirement or add it to his ongoing activities.
It could also be expressed by means of objectives, quantified goals, or a number of targets. It is by bridging the gap between the goals of employees and their responsibilities using targets that the employees reach a consensus on how success will be measured in their work.
The fundamental component of responsibility is a subordinate’s job or task to carry out the assignment that his superior gives him.
Authority and responsibilities go hand in hand. A subordinate who receives authority from a superior is accountable to the higher-up for carrying out the assignment and using authority appropriately. Therefore, authority is a prerequisite for responsibilities.
There is no delegation of responsibilities; they are absolute. When a superior gives work to a subordinate, the subordinate may choose to complete it themselves or may delegate it to another subordinate. However, in both scenarios, his only accountability will be to his supervisor.
Responsibilities flow upward at all times. A subordinate’s sole source of accountability is their superior.
Responsibilities give rise to accountability. An individual who takes ownership of their actions is also responsible for their actions. To include individuals of an organization in its coordinating effort, management can, nevertheless, employ a variety of strategies to assign responsibilities.

Illustration of the Idea of Responsibility

What methods does management employ to specify responsibilities inside an organization?

Answer: The two methods are as follows:

1. Responsibilities Charting: Task relationships with task performers are summarized using a responsibility chart. It enumerates the individuals accountable for every one of the complex tasks or choices that must be made. Task performers should be displayed on the horizontal axis, and tasks should be displayed on the vertical axis by the organization.

The four roles listed below, however, are crucial:

The action or choice is the responsibility of the individual.
He will provide his approval of the action or decision.
He will be consulted by management prior to the completion of any task or decision.
An individual must be informed by management of the action or decision.

2. Risk Negotiation: In addition to responsibilities charting, this is a valuable tool. The approach is based on the idea that no one can obtain anything without making a promise in return. The organization’s members outline the reassignment of responsibilities at regular intervals to optimize coordination.

Finding the separate work clusters that the organization has accomplished is the primary goal of this strategy. Additionally, it seeks to align the tasks that must be accomplished with each person’s preferences for work and personal requirements.

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