Difference between Responsibility, Accountability, and Authority within Business Context

AUTHORITY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
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Introduction
The three terms responsibility, accountability and authority are mostly interchanged and confused, especially within the business environment. Each of these terms, however independently stands and has its meaning that is not similar to the rest despite the fact that the three concepts can be interrelated. It is therefore vital that one has a deep understanding of the three concepts that are intimately connected when it comes to delegation. The paper discusses the three concepts, their features and how they are applied within an organization (Certo et.al, 2015).
Responsibility
Responsibility can be described as the obligation of an individual to perform an assigned duty involving the best of his or her ability under the direction of the superior. Therefore, it is a compulsory requirement that the person in charge of that particular position performs the duty as his or her responsibility. In a business environment, responsibility refers to a given duty assigned to a subordinate and the task should be conducted per the organizations' guidelines. Certo et.al (2015) asserts that the concept of responsibility can also apply in broader areas where the duty is not assigned to an individual, rather a group of people with integrity steps ahead and are ready to be held accountable for theses areas of responsibility.
Typically, responsibility originates from the superiors to subordinate kind of relationships. Responsibility is designed to move upwards unlike authority which moves downwards. Responsibility is a kind of ongoing obligation which cannot be delegated. The individual who accepts responsibility is always held accountable for the performance o...