Abandoning the Culture of Blame

I was talking to an HR leader last week who is struggling with a difficult issue.  His organization has a culture of blame instead of accountability.

How to Identify a Culture of Blame

* The first reaction to a problem is to find out who is responsible.
* People are secretive and territorial.
* There is a lack of willingness to take intelligent risks.
* Information is hoarded, out of fear others will "use it against us."

There are several reasons that a culture of blame is a bad thing.  First and foremost, it tends to get organizations stuck in place.  No one is sharing information, no one is innovating, and everyone is playing it safe.  It's the fastest way to ensure your organization falls behind the curve intellectually and operationally.

Blame-focused organizations also miss out on great opportunities.  People don't try new things, and the best part of mistakes (it's the learning!) are never discovered.  Also, the fear and worry combined with the secretiveness tend to make good performers leave.

Changing a Culture of Blame is difficult.  Here are some tips for when you are stuck in the fray.

1. Reflect back what you see.

Change begins with awareness, and someone has to be the brave one and bring the subject up.

"Have you noticed that every time something goes wrong we tend to focus on finding someone to blame?  I wonder if this helps us or hurts us."

"I worry that people in our company are so afraid to make mistakes that they just don't try anything new anymore."

2. Set an example for others to follow.

This might mean acting less territorial than your peers, empowering your employees to take sensible risks, and talking about the value of learning from our mistakes.

3. Build Alliances.

Find some peers and ask them if they feel that blame is an organizational habit.  Ask them to engage with you in changing the patterns in the company. 

Culture change is not easy, and it usually works best when upper management is involved in the discussion.  Sometimes you just need to do the best with what you have.  We all have the option of changing our own behavior, even when those around or above us are resistant.

Thoughts?

Comments

[Sarah Murphy-Kangas]

Cheri, I like this--"Sometimes you just need to do the best with what you have." In my work with organizations, I find that employees and teams get stuck, waiting for someone or something else to change-"We don't get paid enough, " or "My boss will always be like that." It's never what my clients want to hear (!!), but I always encourage them to ask, "What can I do right now that will change these dynamics?" A good challenge for all of us in the new year...