This blog has been written to highlight workplace obligations.

The underlying principles undoubtedly apply in other parts of our lives, but we’ll limit the examples to business to keep this topic relevant to our readers.

When it comes to workplace obligations, I’d say there are two words that are very closely related. They aren’t quite synonyms and misunderstanding that can lead to conflict and confusion when assigning or assuming what your role on the team is.

The two words are Accountable and Responsible.
They don’t mean exactly the same thing. Here’s the difference:

To be responsible means to be answerable for something within one’s power or control. Notice the two aspects of this definition – the ability to control plus being able to answer for something.

To be accountable means to be subject to giving an account or having the obligation to report, explain or justify something. There is no aspect of power nor control in this definition. But there is an expectation.

Let me outline the difference with an example.

I am a business owner. That means I have a certain degree of control over everything that happens in the business. I am the one who is ultimately responsible for every decision made and every action taken by every person who works here.

Because I have that power, I have to answer for what we do.

There are, however, others who work with me in say marketing, communications, administrative and in training roles. They are not responsible, ultimately, but they are accountable. Work is assigned to them, and they are then obligated to do the work and to be able to report back on it.