AUTHORITY:

 Authority is a legitimate power to influence and command a thought into

action. It usually goes with a position and entails a level of consent,
depending on a chain of command.
 Authority is more of a power vested in an entity usually in a higher
position, and the level of authority decreases as it transcends down to a
lower position.
RESPONSIBILTY:
 Responsibility refers to a duty or obligation that comes along with
authority. Being held accountable the moment an entity acquires such
power, and this is something that can’t be delegated to others.
 Its role is mainly to follow and obey, upholding ethics and morals to the
highest standard, being responsible means to act with common sense,
authority, maturity, and reliability.
 Lack of parity between responsibility and authority often results in not
achieving the desired outcome.
OBJECTIVE:
 The objective of the authority is to
make decisions and implement them
effectively.
 Authority of a manager is the right
way of commanding subordinates,
issuing orders, and getting the team
to comply with them.
 The objective of responsibility is to
perform duties effectively assigned
by the superiors.
 It is the duty of the subordinate to
perform organisational tasks,
functions or activities assigned to
him.
FUNCTIONS:
 Here, orders and commands play a  Here, duties and obedience play a
vital role. vital role.
DELEGATION:
 It can be delegated by superior to his  It is absolute and can never be
subordinates. delegated.
REQUIRES:
 Authority requires the ability to give  Responsibility requires the ability to
orders, have the qualities of a leader. follow orders.
RESULTS FROM:
 An authority is the outcome of a
formal position or from legal
provisions in an organization.
 A responsibility is the outcome of a
superior-subordinate relationship in
which the subordinate agrees to
carry out the duty given to him.
FLOW:
 The flow of authority is from the  The flow of authority is from lower
upper level to lower level. level to upper level.
DURATION:
 The authority lasts for a long period  The responsibility ends as soon as
of time. It usually has a longer life the work bestowed on the employee
than responsibility. is complete.
CONCLUSION:
 In the end, authority and responsibility are two sides of a coin.
Responsibility comes hand in hand with authority. However, it is
important to bestow some responsibility to a subordinate to make sure
that the task is performed by him successfully.
 Greater authority comes with greater responsibility. The one who enjoys
authority with no responsibility can never accomplish work given to him
successfully. Therefore, it is important to ensure a balance between
authority and responsibility.
 Everyone in the organization has authority as well as a responsibility, but
the degree of both varies from the lower level to the upper level.