Blame

Have you ever noticed that when something goes wrong, one of the first things people do is look for someone to blame. Now without doubt it is very useful to find out precisely why something went wrong. Otherwise how can we do it in a way that is more likely to work out next time.



But finding out what went wrong is a different thing to blaming someone for doing something wrong.



When you blame someone for making a mistake you are literally passing judgment on that person. And that, to many people, becomes a 'red rag' worthy of an immediate defensive response.



The way the other person is likely to see it is something like ... "if I have to take the blame then that means I am not up-to-scratch, and it if I am not up-to-scratch then I'll be viewed as incompetent. Now who knows where that little number will lead?"



So the first reaction of the person who has been blamed is commonly an instinctive need to take urgent action to shift the focus somewhere else. Once shifting the blame begins it can take on a life all of its own.



Effective communication takes a nose-dive because now, rather than seeking a better and more productive way for next time ... "I have to make sure that the blame doesn't stop with me"



The need to find a solution so that the mistake/error is less likely to happen again gets lost. Instead, the cycle continues and grows to the point where the 'Blame Culture' reigns supreme.



Most commonly, solutions are found not in people but in systems. With practice and the right policies, systems can be developed that bring about a solutions based culture that focuses first on the systems rather than the people.