You Have Responsibility, But Do You Have Authority?

Managers and workers alike will find an extra layer of job security if they grasp two essential work concepts: responsibility and authority. Success at work requires both of them and not just one.

Responsibility goes with every job. It is some combination of tasks, duties, goals, objectives, teams, deadlines and other terms that describe what someone does at work. Employees use their abilities in response to various work-related tasks. Hence the meaning of the word responseability

But authority isn’t automatically available with every job, task or duty. Authority is the power, right or permission to take action. It is the ability to control the outcome.

Responsibility Without Authority

It seems logical and obvious that employees should always have the authority to act. But responsibility without authority is a common problem at companies with uneven management. Anyone who ends up with responsibility without authority — or with limited authority — will find it much harder to succeed and more likely to get in trouble.

Employees with an innate sense of initiative and leadership even at the staff level can create their own authority. They:

• Ask before they are told.
• Suggest and negotiate.