It's an important question these days as businesses wrestle with decisions that will affect their destinies for years to come. You can be responsible without being accountable, but not vice versa. There's room for only one head in the guillotine. Career-long business survival consists of a seemingly endless series of decisions.
Problem is, sometimes it's hard to know who's accountable for what.
Get ready for some surprising answers, because they're likely to be all over the map. You need to know who plays what roles. And this information has to be clearly communicated throughout your entire business. Too many divisions and power centers, too many separate goals, too little time, too few people who stick around long enough in any one role to make a difference. Accountability for the transition to a digital value chain must fall squarely on the shoulders of one individual.