Differing Levels of Responsibility and Accountability
In any organization or enterprise, there is a reciprocal relationship between responsibility, accountability and authority. Simply put, responsibility is an expectation that you will achieve certain outcomes; accountability means that you answer to someone with regard to that responsibility; and authority is the necessary power to accomplish the outcomes for which you are responsible. At every level of an organization, there is a corresponding level of responsibility and accountability.
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Following
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Anyone who is first starting out in an organization, if he hasn't done something similar before, is likely to perform only routine, structured tasks. Following instructions comprises a good deal of his responsibility, and he will generally be accountable to a first line supervisor for each of those tasks. Followers have little discretion and usually need help with the unexpected.
Assisting
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Once a person has learned the tasks for which she is responsible and accountable, she will no longer need close supervision. She knows her methods, her tools and how to appropriately apply those methods or tools. She has mastered the vocabulary of her tasks and knows what other people are responsible for correlative tasks. This is the assisting level of responsibility and accountability.
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Applying
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When the person has developed a stronger conceptual grasp of how his part fits in with the whole enterprise, he will be given more discretion. He will even be given the authority to make some decisions that could impact project outcomes. This is the level at which he is allowed to apply a broader understanding of the project.
Enabling
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The first level of management is where immediate accountability becomes more diffuse, autonomy increases and responsibilities increase. At the enabling level of responsibility and accountability, the person will begin to integrate specialties, make decisions that could determine project success, supervise others and begin to study new developments in the field. The enabling level may entail some actual planning and scheduling.
Ensuring and Advising
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Ensuring and advising are fully managerial activities. Direct supervision is replaced by broad directives with the understanding that you know what needs to be done to achieve those directives. This is a level of greater specialization, and you may be sought out by superiors for advice in your specialty. You are expected to deal with many unexpected circumstances without seeking help.
Initiating and Influencing
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The level of initiation and influence is where very specific standing authority is given to you. You can make decisions autonomously, even to initiate new actions, and those decisions have the potential to influence the operation of the whole enterprise. At this level, you are expected to understand the financial and technical aspects of projects, and to oversee the quality of facilitative activities.
Strategizing and Mobilizing
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Strategy and mobilization carry the highest level of responsibility. As the sign on President Harry Truman's desk said, "The buck stops here." Decisions about the direction of the project are combined with a strategy to move the organization toward its goal. This is the level where authority, responsibility and accountability merge into an absolute whole.
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References
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