What Does It Mean to “Take Responsibility” in the First Place?
In a business context, the phrase “taking responsibility” (or “taking the blame”) is usually understood as follows:
- Accepting a task or assignment
- Being accountable for the results
- Accepting the consequences of a judgment
In short, responsibility is almost always talked about as a response to duties, roles, and outcomes. That is certainly not wrong.
However—is that really all there is to it?
Philosopher’s Perspective ①
“Taking responsibility means gripping an unknown set of reins.”
When considering this question, I first look not at the noun “responsibility,” but at the verb that precedes it.
We
“Take” responsibility.
Or, we do not.
On the surface, it may look like someone is taking responsibility, but in reality, they might not be.
That is precisely why the question “What does it truly mean to take responsibility?” arises.
Taking responsibility is a decision to intentionally expose oneself to risk. Taking responsibility for a project means being in a position to receive praise if it succeeds and to accept criticism if it fails.
This includes accidents, unforeseen events, and sometimes even a painful sense of guilt.
Yet, at the same time, accepting responsibility brings agency and strength. Even without knowing how the results will turn out, you are the one at the helm.
That sensation brings a sense of ownership and control alongside the fear.
Taking responsibility is not about performing a duty imposed from the outside.
It is a declaration of intent to involve oneself voluntarily; it is the act of making the weight one has taken on “one’s own.”
In that moment, an external obligation transforms into an internal moral responsibility.
Furthermore, what is important is that responsibility is not just about “this present moment.”
It is about responding to past actions, accepting the present, and, if necessary, repairing things for the future.
Responsibility is the ability and will to continue responding through time.
When we take responsibility, it can be said that we are making a single promise.
That is why it is essential to clarify the scope of one’s responsibility and with whom it is shared.
Only then can you know if you can withstand that responsibility, and only then can others judge “to what extent you can be trusted.”
Philosopher’s Perspective ②
When I think about the word responsibility, I go back to its etymology.
“Responsibility” originally meant “the ability to respond” or “the quality of being able to answer.”
When the expression “taking responsibility” is used, it often contains a demand:
“Acknowledge how you responded.” To speak honestly and with transparency about what you did in the past and why you did it.
In that sense, taking responsibility can be described as integrity without deception.
However, caution is needed here.
Sometimes we take on responsibility for events in which our will or choices played no part.
I believe that continuing to feel responsible for things that were fundamentally beyond our control creates much suffering.
For me, a more essential and interesting way of being responsible is responsibility toward the future. It is not about “being one of the causes,” but rather the resolve to become the “bearer” (steward) of the event. Accepting the weight of the outcome, including both success and failure.
Choices made in this way are not mere judgments; they become acts by which one’s will is etched into the world.
In this sense, I believe that taking responsibility means intentionally choosing “how to live in relation to the world.”
Editorial Afterword | Is Responsibility a “Burden” or Something Else?
What emerges from the words of the two philosophers, Jeanne and Kyle, is a single fact that is often overlooked.
Responsibility is not just about roles, tasks, or processing results.
For a leader especially, it is a question of where to position oneself within the flow of uncertainty and time.
Responsibility is words, it is courage, and perhaps…
it is “a story one accepts as one’s own.”
Perhaps responsibility is not a burden to be carried, but a “voice” to be found.
About This Series
Purpose To create a place where readers reflexively stop and think.
In this series, we introduce philosophical perspectives that shake conventional understandings of themes such as responsibility, freedom, diversity, and technology.
Questions do not exist to provide immediate answers, but to deepen thought and update how we see the world.