You must choose how equal you really want the two paths to be, and where to assign accountability. Be wary—accountability without the means to control it is a recipe for frustration and disaster. Those who are held to account must also be given the freedom to own (as much as possible) the inputs that can affect their success. That’s harder with ICs than managers because ICs are usually not perceived as having final accountability, nor are they able to hire and fire, which many believe (falsely, in my opinion) to be where the power comes from in a project.
