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Don't Play the Blame Game at Work
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"When organizations live by a culture of seeking scapegoats, the consequences can be disastrous"
Published in the Globe and Mail, Friday, June 25, 2004
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MARY PEARSON
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Heads are going to roll at a large financial institution where a complex technical project is drastically behind schedule.The difficulty is deciding who should get the blame. Is it the project leader, who is managing by phone and e-mail from afar?Is it the team members, working out of different offices across the country? Is it the department head who introduced a no-travel policy, so the project leader had to manage from afar and team members couldn't get together to work in person? Or is it the senior executive whose push for cost-cutting measures was ultimately responsible for the travel ban?
Somebody has to take the blame for the delay.
Assigning blame is a common ailment in many organizations. But when an organization searches for a scapegoat, employees scatter and cover their tracks.
Moreover, a culture that focuses on finding someone to blame may miss the something that is the real culprit. Then genuine mistakes can go undetected and unreported; greater problems, even dangerous situations, can occur as a result.
It also takes a toll on productivity and morale.
It's difficult for staff to be creative, courageous, sometimes even ethical in a workplace with a blaming culture, because so much energy is invested in protecting themselves.
Of course, people must be accountable for their actions. And any serious wrongdoing or unethical behaviour must be dealt with judiciously and promptly. But blame for blame's sake is not a wise way to run a workplace.
So why does a culture of blame run rampant through some organizations? Sometimes it's because of a culture of fear created by a bullying boss. Sometimes it's because of a culture of spreading only good news. When that's all the boss wants to hear, employees tend to shy away from passing on the bad. Or if the common practice is to "shoot the messenger," staff will keep their heads down and there will be no real accountability.
One of the biggest problems in organizations is denial.
"When there is disparity between what's on the table and what's under the table and not spoken about, then there are real issues for that organization," a colleague says.
These are the very organizations that foster a culture of blame, because there is no tolerance for dealing with reality. And if it's a harsh reality, then someone must be blamed.
How do you recognize an organization that lives by a culture of blame?
-There is an element of denial, hand-in-hand with a zealous can-do attitude. The chief executive officer may only want to hear about successes and become distressed when news of problems arises.
-In some cases, a boss who blows up over issues can keep underlings mortified about letting bad news filter up.
-There is no tolerance for mistakes, however minor, and those who make them are reprimanded or shamed in some way.
-In a blaming culture, there is scant positive feedback for the things that go well but there is swift negative feedback for the smallest of errors.
-There are no rewards or recognition for taking calculated risks; therefore, most employees shy away from more challenging, high-risk issues, minimizing their exposure to fallout.
-There's a lack of courage among middle managers for standing up for decisions, opinions, mistakes and defending staff. Staff know this and feel vulnerable.
-The paper trail is enormous. Several people or units sign off on every decision in order to spread the responsibility as thinly as possible.
-No one wants to be on the hook.This can manifest itself in too many committees, excessive bureaucracy and confusing organization structures.
-Usually the scapegoat is someone at or near the bottom of the hierarchy, as more powerful players become quite adept at avoiding blame themselves.
Often the underlying barriers to a successful venture are systemic -- poor planning processes, insufficient data, poor tools, ineffective communication, insufficient client information, poor organizational design, lack of skills, an overworked staff, poor morale, ineffective policies. These issues need to be fully identified, analyzed and properly addressed by management and staff in a problem-solving mode. A full and successful vetting of systemic problems requires an approach that doesn't seek to place blame.
No creative venture is without some element of risk.
We all learn from mistakes, and it's important to look for the opportunities that arise from analyzing failures as much as successes. If things in the normal course of work don't go the way they were expected to, employees need to be supported, not blamed. Enlightened managers know this, and they realize that staff can't be free to do their best unless they also feel free to take risks and make mistakes.
If you're a manager, how can you change a culture of blame?
-Let the small stuff slide.
With tight deadlines and busy workloads, everyone will make mistakes some time.
-Remember to thank your staff for bringing problems to your attention when they arise.
-Acknowledge those who are engaged in high-risk projects, and praise them for keeping the things that are on track that way.
-Recognize that it takes great effort to accomplish those things that have been accomplished.
-Don't take good work and effort for granted -- praise and be sincere about your praise.
-Be realistic with ambitious ventures at the onset.
Ask staff to be honest about what pitfalls may arise and what barriers stand in the way of accomplishing goals, and engage the staff in developing a mitigating strategy in order to anticipate setbacks.
-Lead by example. Never shirk responsibility nor accountability. The manager who can say "I made a mistake on this one" shows staff that it's acceptable to risk and fail and to own up to errors when they are made.
-When things do go off track, sit down with all players and analyze how to put them back. Recognize that the lessons learned can be as valuable as the accomplishment of a goal.
-Distinguish between the big issues and the small issues, between mistakes and wrongdoing -- and act accordingly.
Introduce policies, processes and reward systems that encourage staff to continually engage in evaluating systemic issues that hinder success, and speak up about them.
-Establish performance goals that recognize employees for identifying problems early, and suggesting improvements.
These measures will facilitate a vibrant environment where individuals feel free of the fear of blame -- and can excel.
Mary Pearson is a Toronto-based management consultant.
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