Every individual has unquestionably stumbled upon the common terms-duty and responsibility and many of these individuals might’ve even considered these two terms to be similar to each other. However, despite these words being generally considered identical, with their explanation and significance, and both being habitually used in plenty of sectors like branches of legislation, administration, knowledge, moral principles and so on, there are clear-cut differences between the two vast terms.
Duties vs Responsibilities
The main difference between duty and responsibility is that when a person performs a duty, he/she fully commits to it and involves himself/herself in the activity with no self-interests holding him/her back.
Duty refers to the ethical obligation an individual enforces on somebody, intending to perform something which is socially, lawfully, or executively considered correct. Contrarily, responsibility is a task an individual takes upon with his/her own free will to complete the task successfully. When the individual is responsible for something, he is held responsible for how the execution turns out.
Responsibility, however, is a term that is used for when an individual is solely responsible for opting for a task he can surely handle and also the end-result of performing a chosen/given task.
Comparison Table Between Duties and Responsibilities (in Tabular Form)
| Parameters of Comparison | Congruent | Similar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Congruent is the term that refers to the figures or anything, in general, that is the same in size and shape and can superimpose each other. | Similar is used for the figures or other things that resemble each other in the size and shape but are not identical to each other in terms of measurements. |
| Principle | Congruent figures usually follow the mathematical principle of the S.S.S theorem where the measurements of all sides and angles in two figures are the same. | Similar or identical figures do not follow any such rule. The shape, sides, and angles of the two figures can vary differently. |
| Precision | Congruent figures are geometrically precise and superimposing figures. | Similar is the loosed term to define the identical figures that resemble each other in shape largely. |
| Orientation | Congruent figures superimpose each other even when they are placed in different orientations. That can be done by rotating the figures. | Similar figures do not superimpose each other even when they are placed in the same orientation. |
| Multiplicity of meanings | Congruent can also be used as the adjective to describe the objects or experiences that can be superimposed or are coincidental. | Similar can also be used as an adjective to describe things or objects that are linked because of their similar nature. It is also used for comparisons. |
What are Duties?
The word ‘duty’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘debere’ meaning commitment. Duties refer to a moral obligation which an individual is bound to perform. For example: A teacher has to teach her students moral skills as it is her duty. Various sectors enjoy different types of duties that are required to be performed by an individual.
Social duties are a certain set of duties that are to be performed by every citizen of the country or otherwise they are bound to a fine/punishment. For example: to abide by the rules of our country by paying taxes as and when required, to respect the laws of the country, to keep our country clean, and to be a loyal citizen are some of the duties of every citizen of the country.
In the government sector, the government is required to perform a certain amount of duties to the citizens of the country. For example: To protect the rights of the people of the country and to manage the economic conditions of our country is the duty of the government.
In the business sector, duties are the tasks that the employees are required to perform as given by their department heads. For example: To obey a lawful order in terms of employment is a duty to be performed by an employee of a company.
In the educational sector, it is the responsibility of every professor/ teacher to perform their duties to the students of the class. For example: grading the student’s performance and assigning daily tasks are some of the duties of the teachers.
In the banking sector, the banker is bound to perform a set of duties to the customers/ account holders. For example: the banker advises his clients and maintains records of financial transactions that are conducted regularly.
What are Responsibilities?
The word responsibility has been derived from the Latin word ‘responsabilis’. Responsibility refers to a state of being responsible and the capacity to act on one’s will without any supervision. For example: it is the responsibility of a mother to look after its child. The various types of responsibilities are:
Social responsibility refers to the responsibilities performed by every individual of the society who are motivated to benefit the society in one way or the other. For example: Giving blood donations, working at orphanages or animal shelters are some of the social responsibilities of an individual.
Corporate responsibility refers to the initiative of the corporate sector to contribute to achieve societal goals. Some of the responsibilities of the corporate sector include a company giving some of its profits to benefit the society or to charity or to take initiatives to benefit the environment either by planting trees or by reducing the wastage of resources.
Personal responsibility refers to the responsibilities performed by an individual who is capable and willing to achieve the responsibilities given to him. An individual who has high levels of morality is considered to be a person who has a high level of personal responsibility. For example: the responsibility, to be honest, to be accountable for one’s doing, to be responsible to resolve our differences with other people are some of the personal responsibilities of an individual.
Fiduciary responsibility is the social obligation of the organization to act per their clients. The individuals who have fiduciary responsibilities are brokers, stockholders, bankers, etc. Some of the fiduciary responsibilities are that brokers or bankers are given a high level of trust in managing the personal finances of their clients.
Fiscal responsibility is the responsibility of the government to use the taxes paid by the citizens of the country properly and make good financial plans for the future by reducing debt. Hence the government must spend the funds of the economy wisely.
Main Differences Between Duties and Responsibilities
- Duties refer to the ethical obligations implied by someone to an individual who is required to execute the obligation given to him. For example: A citizen of a country must support the constitution.Responsibilities are the authorization of tasks granted to an individual inherent to his work. For example: it is the responsibility of every citizen of our country is to protect our monuments and to keep our surroundings clean.
- Duties are not obligatory to be followed by the individuals. Responsibilities are obligatory to be performed by individuals.
- Duties are assigned to individuals either because the law demands it or because of the role the individual occupies. Responsibilities are shouldered upon an individual who is dependent and reliable enough.
- Duties are considered to be mandatorily performed by the individuals as it is the moral commitment of all citizens toward the country. Responsibility is a power that helps an individual act responsibly and this in turn helps boosts his/her self-esteem.
- Duties performed by the citizens of the country show that they are abiding by the rules and regulations of the country and do not just care about themselves. Responsibilities contribute to accountability which means being accountable for one’s actions and not the actions of others.
Conclusion
Duty involves responsibility. Individuals ought to do their duties responsibly because they are accountable for the act which has to be done properly within a specified time. Dedication on the individual’s part is also vital for the effective and efficient completion of duties and responsibilities. Even so, there are noticeable differences between the two terms which are thoroughly explained in the above article.
This piecework further gives us more valuable information about the two terms which would in turn give the audience a better clarity of what the two terms mean and how they can be carried out efficiently in different sectors.
References
- https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/1399042
- https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000115