---
id: "claim-latent-raci-disagreement"
type: "claim"
source_timestamps: ["§ Mistake 3"]
tags: ["semantics", "alignment"]
related: ["concept-role-institutionalization"]
confidence: "high"
testable: true
speakers: ["Lindy Greer", "Jennifer Jordan", "Maxim Sytch"]
sources: ["governance"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-governance"
originDay: 7
articleStem: "hbr-sig-48-decision-rights"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/07/what-companies-get-wrong-about-decision-rights"
sourceTitle: "What Companies Get Wrong About Decision Rights"
---
# Organizations Harbor Latent Disagreement on RACI Definitions

Nearly every organization the authors have worked with harbors **latent disagreement about what the RACI roles mean behaviorally**. In a poll of **30 partners at a global consultancy, half believed the 'Accountable' person had the final say while the other half believed it was the 'Responsible' person.** This semantic and behavioral confusion causes the tools to be quietly set aside.

The fix is [[concept-role-institutionalization]] via [[action-draft-behavioral-guide]].

**Confidence: high · testable.** *Enrichment:* no large-scale quantitative study confirms the poll, but practitioner commentary corroborates the confusion — McKinsey's *The Limits of RACI* explicitly notes ambiguity over who *decides* vs. who *executes* ('too many stakeholders end up with a vote or veto'), and practitioner forums show people conflating Responsible and Accountable. Many guides warn to 'clearly define each role,' implying the pain point is real and common.