Assignment of Task or Responsibility Requires Two or more Persons: Assignment of task or responsibility requires, first, an authority-holding person to assign the task or responsibility and, second, one or more subordinates to perform that task or responsibility. Authority flows downward, i.e. For a while he forgets that under the current global business scenario, an efficient worker would stay only if his compensation package compares favorably with that of similarly qualified work­ers in other organizations. At the root of his authority are his competence, charisma and leader-like qualities. 4. The subordinate expects such decisions, and his behaviour is determined by them. The Business Dictionary does a much better job of speaking in terms you and I understand, when it comes to defining the relationship between authority, responsibility, and … It will help him in successful utilization of his authority. They do not work on their own; they need humans to work them. Responsibility results from a superior subordinate relationship. 5. ‘Authority’ means ‘Legal or rightful power, a right to command or to act’. Without authority, the executive cannot secure compliance of his orders from his subordinates. Authority is the legal right of person or superior to command his subordinates while accountability is the obligation of individual to carry out his duties as per standards of performance Authority flows from the superiors to subordinates,in which orders and instructions are given to subordinates to complete the task. It means the person who has been assigned a task or responsibility has a duty or obligation to perform it. Without authority, a manager … Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform a duty, which has been assigned to him by his superior. Disclaimer Copyright, Share Your Knowledge There are various theories to explain the sources of authority, important among them are as follows: 1. A person with extraor­dinary characteristics (charisma) exercises authority over his followers, even though the followers are neither bound by any law or tradition to do so. Authority and responsibility go together or co-existing. It is the power or the right to act, to command or to extract action by others. Thus, union leaders of an organization may select a relatively junior worker to present their case before the top management for increase in salaries because they feel he is forceful and logical in arguing the case and has at his command well-documented evidence to support his viewpoint. authority should be commensurate with responsibility. The other means, that it can help in making authority more effective and may include the backing and support to lower executives, from the top executives, due attention to their advice, usually confirming their decisions, permitting command to flow through proper channels and supplying adequate information and materials to them. Respect­ing and serving elders in family and society is an age-old tradition, so is responsibility of parents to raise and properly educate and train children for life ahead. A manager who started working decades ago on a three-digit salary might have butterflies in stomach when he appoints staff on a salary many times exceeding his own when he had jointed the organization. Accountability will shrink or expand with the nature of responsibility assigned. 1. A person will be accountable only when he has been assigned any task or responsibility by the person who commands authority over him. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. It is exacted upwards whereas authority flows downwards. Responsibility and authority are two things which go hand in hand. from top to bottom level It flows upward i.e. If the subordinates do not accept the authority of manager, they may not willingly comply with his decisions and orders – they may even defy them. Bernard says that the subordinate automatically accepts most orders given by the manager. Authority may be subjected to the bye-laws, standing orders, rules and regulation of the company (as per articles and memorandum of the company). cash or equipment. Assignment of tasks and responsibility will be meaningful only when it is accompanied by delegation of necessary authority to perform the assigned tasks and responsibility. (c) If the consequences of not accepting the authority would damage his career prospects in the organization, including perhaps loss of job. The essence of the theory is that any authority is as effective or inef­fective as the willingness or unwillingness of subordinates to accept it. Securing compliance or obedience is the main objective behind the whole concept of authority. Every manager at any level in the organisation, must respect the laws, traditions and restrictions etc. Difference Basic of Distinction Authority Responsibility Meaning The power or right of a superior to give order to others It is an obligation to perform the assigned duty or order Sources of Origin It emerges from a formal position in the organisation It emerges from superior subordinate relationship Direction of Flow It flows downwards i.e. For this reason they cannot be held accountable for failure or deficiency of performance. It may continue or cease with the accomplishment of the desired objective. Also, to act or not to act depends on how he perceives the objectives of the organization. 3. People who are in an authoritarian position have more responsibilities which come with the power of authority. To sum up, the ultimate source of authority rests equally on legal, social and cultural norms that fulfill the test of validity and voluntary acceptance of authority by subordinates. This theory believes that the technical competence and personal competence are the basis of authority. Your IP: 178.79.131.219 (1) Exercise of authority drives staff of the organization to perform the tasks and responsibility assigned to them: Authority means the right to influence the behavior of others. The Board, on its part, selects and appoints staff that will help it accom­plish the tasks and responsibility necessary to achieve organizational goals. Some persons having attractive personality command others to work. Also, all authority is formal. (b) The objective aspect that is the character in the communication by virtue of which it is accepted. Privacy Policy3. They follow the leader because, according to their per­ception, he articulates their feelings and aspirations. Normally, responsibility moves upwards, whereas authority flows downwards. Continuous or Specific-Duration Task or Responsibility: Task or responsibility assigned to a subordinate may be a continuing obligation, or it may be limited in terms of time or tasks. This happens when he enjoys support and confidence of his followers because they see him as personification of their urges and aspirations. In a way through exercising the control the superior is demanding accountability from subordinates. Learn about the meaning, definition, concept, relationship of authority and responsibility in management. It is always considered to be the key to a successful Managerial job. Before publishing your Articles on this site, please read the following pages: 1. 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 right may flow from a legal-institutional framework (a law governing the organization, or a manual, or guidelines framed by the organi­zation). Regard for the Mores and Folk Ways of the Group: Authority when used commands reaction from individual as well as groups. Allen defines authority as “the sum of the powers and rights entrusted to make possible the performance of the work delegated.” This definition emphasise the right and power aspects and adds another dimension, namely the implication that the authority is delegated with a view to performance of the work and is delegated to the extent of the responsibility for the work entrusted to the delegatee. This is example of traditional authority. Authority is subject to the physical and mental capacity of the subordinate who has to exercise it. It may be favourable or unfavourable. Accountability means an obligation on the part of a person to account for, or explain, why the task or responsibility assigned to him has not been performed as desired. Thus, the concept of authority arises from the chain, which ties together the sections emanating from different persons in the organization. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. For example, when a worker is assigned the task of operating a machine, his responsibility is to ensure that the machine is opera­tionally fit. In general, in business organizations, the authority is a result of the contractual agreement, under which the subordinate have agreed to perform certain services in return of monitory benefit. Non-living inanimate beings – machine, tool, capital – cannot be assigned task or responsibility. may also impose certain limitations on the use of authority. The right may also be rooted in tradition, or the charisma of a person. Tradition-centric authority has a lot to commend itself, only it should not become a tool to exploit people who respect it. Until and unless any performance is technically possible an order to do any such work would be unworthy. Authority is a formal or institutionalized form of power vested in a position or office. There are two versions of theory of authority. According to acceptance theory, authority of a manager will be in direct proportion to the acceptance given to his authority by his subordinates. For smooth running of an organization, the co-ordination between authority- responsibility is very important. It assumes that a subordinate has the option to accept or reject authority and. It is the power of the superior to make decisions which guides the actions of his subordinates. It always originates from the superior-subordinate relationship. Authority is generally adopted with power to secure obedience. Authority’s primary role is to give orders while responsibility is to be held accountable. Delegation of authority to a subordinate will not relieve a manager from responsibility to perform his duties. Acceptance theory would be put to test only when a manager takes a decision and communicates it to his subordinate(s). On the other hand, when the president hires some lower for seeking legal advice and advocating a particular case in the court of law, his obligation comes to an end when the assignment is completed. 2. Authority and responsibility of a manager should be co-equal i.e. Thus the responsibility is the obligation to perform certain functions and achieve results. Describe the delegation process, including the five rights of delegation and the importance of clear Responsibility Not Power. For practical purposes, the term authority can be defined as the legal and rightful power to command or to extract action from others. Authority and Responsibility are two words that are often confused due to the appearing similarity in their meanings. According to Koontz and O’Donnell “the obligation of a subordinate to whom a duty has been assigned to perform the duty”. (a) The subjective aspect that is the personal aspect of accepting a communication or order as authoritative; and. Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform a duty, which has been assigned to him by his superior. ‘Formal’, ‘Traditional’ or ‘Top-Down Theory’ of Authority: Formal authority flows from law, rules, and regulations that are framed by, or with the consent of all stakeholders. Laws, trade practices etc. In an organisation responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform his duty as required by his superior. In an enterprise responsibility is accepted by a subordinate due to contractual relationship and in turn, he gets monetary or other rewards. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. For example, one can hardly order a person to walk up to side of a building or do such impossible things. According to Barnard, “an individual will accept the exercise of authority by his superior if the advantages to him from accepting the authority and the disadvantages from not accepting the authority are greater than the advantages from not accepting and the disadvantages from accepting; conversely, he will not accept the exercise of authority if the latter factors are greater than the former.”. A manager is responsible ultimately for the performance of his duties even though he has delegated it to his subordinates. It is a different matter though that in the modern society this tradition-conferred authority is suffering dilution. The superior frames and transmits decisions, with the expectation that the subordinates will accept and comply with them. Now the question – What source of authority would best enable a manager to perform his task? Authority can be designated, but responsibility cannot be designated. Some writers define as a duty while others call it an obligation. Similarly, if responsibility is greater than authority, the tendency of the management becomes difficult and even ineffective. Unlimited authority always tends to be an instrument of corruption, It should therefore, have arid generally does have some limitations, which may be express and implied. However, delegation of authority does not diminish the authority and responsibility of the manager- he continues to be the source of authority vested in him and also continues to be responsible for per­formance of the assigned task by him and/or his subordinate(s). A manager’s authority is restricted by the enterprise goals, objectives, politics, programmes and procedures etc. So a manager while using authority, must keep in his mind, the reaction of his orders on employees, shareholders and customers etc. (iii) He wants to avoid disciplinary action, (iv) he regards the maturity, age or experience of superior (v) he wants to avoid responsibility, (vi) he believes that the authority is legitimate and should be followed. This means that a subordinate will accept authority only if it falls within his zone of acceptance. Everything you need to know about authority and responsibility in management. Top managers appoint senior and junior level managers and assign tasks and responsibility to them to perform and dele­gate them appropriate authority to operate and control the resources placed under their control. Failure to observe these elements may call for a penalty, punishment or disciplinary action against the erring subordinate. The important principle of authority is: Authority and responsibility should be equal. Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform a duty, which has been assigned to him by his superior. Share Your Word File Authority may be subject to the social beliefs, codes, creeds and habits of the group over which it has to be exercised. Since 1950 the term technical authority or computer authority has come into use. 4. 0405-luby - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. A person can influence the behavior of others even if he does not command any formal, legal or tra­ditional authority. Authority responsibility relationships can be fruitful only when there is a formal relationship between the two. Responsibility can be discharged by a single action or it may be a continuous obligation. Authority Responsibility; An authority is a power or right that a person gets because of his designation, role, or job. In particular, as developing countries gain more formal and informal power in Responsibility is the most misunderstood term in the literature of management. Authority and Responsibility. Compliance is obtained in a number of ways trough persuasion, sanctions, request, coercion, constraint or force”. It is only through authority, a manager exercises control. The term Responsibility is, most of the times, used to mean duty, activity, liability, accountability or even authority. To run the organization towards its goal and objectives the authority of the executive has to be re-delegated to the managers down the line to reach the bottom line managers. In view of organizational set up, the superior-subordinate relationship gives rise to this responsibility as the superior is vested with the authority to get the specified work done by his subordinates. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Their reward is the salary and prospects of promotion to higher responsibility positions in the organization. Responsibility means the duties authorized to a person at the time of delegation of authority. Business Management, Functions, Directing, Authority. Welcome to EconomicsDiscussion.net! Sometimes it so happens these attractive and commanding personality do not have any authority, but people waits for his guidance and follow it taking it as an order. Likewise, only a person who is subordinate to the authority-holding person can be assigned task or responsibil­ity. The authority is power to command or to exact action from others in the process of discharging the delegated responsibility. A responsibility is the outcome of a superior-subordinate relationship. (2) Only person holding authority can make decisions: Decision-making is the main feature of authority. The competition in prices of the product and other economic factors also affect the authority. Responsibility in terms of quantitative targets is pref­erable to general, non-quantitative responsibility. – Henry Fayol, “Authority is the official and the legal right to command action by others and to enforce compliance. Under the acceptance theory, it is believed that authority comes to the manager by the acceptance of power to make and enforce decisions through his subordinates. For example, shareholders of a company are the source of all legal authority to con­trol and manage its affairs. Accordingly manager has no authority until it is conferred upon him by his sub-ordinates. Then, it assigns tasks and responsibility to the staff, based on their competence levels. Senior citizens are willingly offered seats in crowded buses and trains; no one minds their jump­ing the queue to visit a doctor, or to withdraw money from bank. It is also the right of the manager to make decisions. One main difference between authority and responsibility is that authority talks about the power one has while responsibility speaks about the obligations we must fulfill. – Keith Davis, Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform his duty as required by his superior – Theo Haiman. But if he is assigned the task of producing 100 units daily on the machine, his responsibility is expressed in terms of a quantitative target. Authority, Responsibility, and Accountability Introduction There is a definite relationship between authority, responsibility and accountability. Responsibility is in the form of a continuing obligation. Authority and Responsibility in Management – Meaning, Definition, Concept, Characteristics and Relationship, According to Barnard, “Authority is the character of a communication (order) in a formal organization, by virtue of which it is accepted by a contributor to, or member of, the organization as governing the action he contributes; that is, as governing or determining what he does or not do, so far as the orga­nization is concerned.”. Responsibility means the duties assigned to a person at the time of delegation of authority. Because the manager gets the work done by subordinates, authority constitutes as the key to manager’s job. However, relationship between CEO and an auditor who is appointed annually to conduct audit of the company accounts is a specific duration task or responsibility. Share Your PPT File, Authority and Responsibility in Management – Meaning, Definition and Characteristics of Authority and Responsibility in Management, Authority and Responsibility in Management – Nature, Definition and Source, Authority and Responsibility in Management – Concept and Relationship between Authority and Responsibility in Management. The essence of responsibility is then, obligation.”. Authority and Moral Responsibility. cannot be held responsible. A manager is accountable only to his superior but the top management owes the maximum accountability. These units must be structured together and their efforts directed towards attaining the goals of the enterprise. A building or machine etc. Many academic theorists of the formal authority view the legal aspects of private property as the source of authority. Organizing will not end by dividing the originations into smaller homogeneous units. 1. Authority is the only cohesive force that sets in motion the integrated activities of sub-ordinates in an enterprise. Acceptance theory of authority is the exact opposite of the traditional, formal theory of authority. Duty or responsibility may be in terms of functions, targets or goals. Authority needs the ability to give orders and instructions, whereas responsibility demands the ability of compliance or obedience, to follow orders. iii. 6. we shall be concerned with the more general question about the relationship between autonomy (or self-direction) and exter­ nal influences, which I take to be any guide to behavior whose presence, content or substance is dependent upon something beyond the … Responsibility is a concomitant of authority, therefore authority and responsibility should be equal. Such authority stems the decision making power granted to the processed data by a computer. Thus, responsibility is an obligation to carry out certain tasks. Authority is one of the important considerations in the process of management. But compliance of actions and carrying out of instructions by subordinates cannot always be assured merely because the authority is customarily accepted. In order to ensure that authority and responsibility are co-equal, a correlative action may be resorted to. Relationship between Authority and Responsibility Authority is the legal right of person or superior to command his subordinates while accountability is the obligation of individual to carry out his duties as per standards of performance Authority flows from the superiors to subordinates,in which orders and instructions are given to subordinates to complete the task. How they use power and authority has great bearing on their success as leaders. It stems from the top and is transmitted downwards through the line by the process of delegation. The relationship between CEO and the production manager of a company is a case of continuing responsibility – the production manager must keep performing his task or responsi­bility so long as he is in the employment of the company. Hence, it includes the powers to assign duties to the subordinates and make them accept and follow it. Authority flows from superior to the subordinate manager to whom certain duties are assigned and responsibility is the obligation of the subordinate to accomplish these duties. Assignment of a task or responsibility casts a duty to perform something. Responsibility Relates to human beings only. Legal authority or social or cultural norms become irrele­vant here. Relationship between Authority and Responsibility: Authority is the legal right of person or superior to command his subordinates while accountability is the obligation of individual to carry out his duties as per standards of performance. As Chester I. Bernard writes that “Authority is the character of communication (order) in a formal organization by virtue of which it is accepted by a contributor to or member of the organization as governing the action he contributes; that is, as governing or determining what he does or is not to do so fare as the organization is concerned”. Sometimes a manager may not get the work done from the subordinates if the wages are not according to their expectation. There are technological limits on authority too. In view of organizational set up, the superior-subordinate relationship gives rise to this responsibility as the superior is vested with the authority to get the specified work done by his subordinates. A great recent example that illustrates the difference between delegating authority and delegating responsibility is seen in remarks made by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg following intense scrutiny over the social media giant’s role in the spread of fake news in general and surrounding the 2016 presidential election specifically. They do so also because they trust his extraordinary technical, social and human qualities. Koontz and O’ Donnel define it as the obligation of a subordinate, to whom a superior has assigned a task and dele­gated authority, to perform the task as required. I would think that responsibility is the duty or role delegated according to your scope of work. The task or responsibility to produce minimum 100 units per day is a task or responsibility expressed in quantitative terms. Physical limitations such as climate, geography, chemical elements and so on, have their limiting effect on authority. In every organization, this process of re-delegation is essential to run the organization. However, the ideal source of authority is that under which the subordinates accept to perform the assigned task and responsibility because they trust the ability and integrity of the manager. When such an event occurs, the person assuming authority to meet the particular circumstances is said to have derived the authority of the situation. 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. Getting things done by people is not possible without compliance on the part of subordinates and the authority which ensures compliance. A building, a machine or an animal cannot be held responsible. Another way to define authority is to emphasize that those in power hold people accountable for the responsibilities delegated. Responsibility is also an important concept and has been defined as follows: Responsibility is an obligation of the individual to perform assigned duties to the best of his ability under the direction of his executive leader. “Authority is the character of a communication (order) in a formal organization, by virtue of which it is accepted by a contributor to, or member of, the organization as governing the action he contributes; that is, as governing or determining what he does or not do, so far as the orga­nization is concerned.”, “Viewed internally with respect to the enterprise, responsibility may be defined as the obligation of a subordinate, to whom a superior has assigned a duty to perform a service required. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. He does this because he has made decision about the work behavior of his subordinates. The managerial authority is a rightful permission to act for the enterprise instruct the subordinates, impose penalty for wrong doings, use company property or to speak or act as a representatives of the enterprise. As per this definition, there are two aspects involved in the concept of authority. Thus, authority is derived from responsibility just as responsibility is derived from functions. Responsibility is closely related to authority. Generally the authority to make decisions or the right to command decreases as it proceeds from the highest to lowest level of an organisation. It is the liability for proper discharge of duties. Only a per­son holding authority—legal, traditional or competence—can assign task or responsibility. 2. Difference between Authority, Accountability & Responsibility: Authority: It is “right given to a position by external source to do something”, this can be right to give orders, pass instructions or right delegated to use organization’s assets i.e. Through legal process, they delegate this authority to Board of directors elected/selected by them. Formal and legal authority would empower him to secure performance from his subordinates through adoption of the ‘carrot and stick’ policy—reward to subordinate if the task or responsibility assigned to him is performed to the satisfaction of the manager, and punishment if it is not. According to Koontz and O’Donnell, “Viewed internally with respect to the enterprise, responsibility may be defined as the obligation of a subordinate, to whom a superior has assigned a duty to perform a service required. Explain how the concepts of accountability, responsibility, and authority apply to nursing delegation, including levels of authority. 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