Getting Started and Overview › Glossary for the Networking Language · 2 min read
Responsibility flow describes how responsibility arises, is assumed, coordinated, and passed on within a network.
It makes visible who is responsible for a task, decision, relationship, or development, and how this responsibility remains connected to other parts of the network. This is not just about individual supply regions. Responsibility flow encompasses the entire interplay of people, farms, communities, regions, organizations, projects, and supra-regional structures.
In a living network, responsibility is not exclusively tied to fixed hierarchies or formal positions. It emerges where people possess knowledge, relationships, resources, or agency and are willing to stand by the consequences of their actions.
A robust responsibility flow ensures that responsibility is not lost during transitions. When a task is passed on, it must remain clear:
Passing on responsibility therefore does not mean simply handing it off. Good transitions preserve context, knowledge, and accountability.
In the TEIKEI network, responsibility can lie at different levels: with individuals, working groups, producers, communities, regional governing bodies, or supra-regional structures. What matters is that these levels remain interconnected, and responsibility is neither held centrally nor shifted downward unnoticed.
A transparent responsibility flow creates orientation and agency. It helps identify where responsibility is clearly borne, where it should be shared, and where gaps, overload, or unclear responsibilities arise.
Together with material flow, information flow, and money flow, responsibility flow forms a fundamental perspective on the network. While materials, information, and money are moved, responsibility flow answers the question:
Who remains connected to the consequences and ensures that the network remains capable of action?
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By the TEIKEI editorial team, with support from AI (ChatGPT)
Created on July 19, 2026 · Last updated on October 13, 2026
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