Blame shifts the burden. In a shifting the burden situation, a problem has multiple solutions. People often grab onto the most obvious, short-term fix rather than search for the fundamental source of the problem. The lack of a permanent, long-term solution reinforces the need for additional quick fixes. Blame is a fix that actually diverts the blamers’ attention away from long-term interpersonal or structural solutions to problems. Although blame provides some immediate relief and a sense of having solved a problem (“It’s their fault”), it also erodes communication and shifts the focus even further from accountability, the more fundamental solution.
Blaming can also be addictive, because it makes us feel powerful and keeps us from having to examine our own role in a situation. When we have blamed someone, we can walk away feeling relieved potentially, but nothing has solved the ongoing problem.
How, then, do we move from blame to accountability? Even within carefully designed systems, people may fail at their work. And even with a knowledge of system dynamics, we still often look for an individual’s failure as a way to explain a problem. One leverage point is to understand the organizational dynamics of blame. There is also leverage in changing how we think about and conduct ourselves at work.
There are three levels of specific behavioral change in moving from blame to accountability – the individual level, the interpersonal level, and the group or organizational level. First, individuals must be willing to change their own thinking and feelings about blame. Second, people need to become skillful at making contracts with one another and holding each other accountable for results. Third, groups need to promote responsible and constructive conversations by developing norms for direct conflict resolution between individuals. These behavioral changes, and the use of systems thinking to focus on the structures involved and not the personalities, can help create a constructive organizational culture.
Developing accountability skills is challenging; it takes courage and the willingness to learn new ways of thinking and acting. So why is moving from blame to accountability worthwhile? Because blame is like sugar – it produces a brief boost and then a let-down. It doesn’t serve the system’s long-term needs and can actually prevent it from functioning effectively. On the other hand, developing accountability skills and habits on every level of your organization can be an important element in maintaining your organization’s long-term health.
Blaming can also be addictive, because it makes us feel powerful and keeps us from having to examine our own role in a situation. When we have blamed someone, we can walk away feeling relieved potentially, but nothing has solved the ongoing problem.
How, then, do we move from blame to accountability? Even within carefully designed systems, people may fail at their work. And even with a knowledge of system dynamics, we still often look for an individual’s failure as a way to explain a problem. One leverage point is to understand the organizational dynamics of blame. There is also leverage in changing how we think about and conduct ourselves at work.
There are three levels of specific behavioral change in moving from blame to accountability – the individual level, the interpersonal level, and the group or organizational level. First, individuals must be willing to change their own thinking and feelings about blame. Second, people need to become skillful at making contracts with one another and holding each other accountable for results. Third, groups need to promote responsible and constructive conversations by developing norms for direct conflict resolution between individuals. These behavioral changes, and the use of systems thinking to focus on the structures involved and not the personalities, can help create a constructive organizational culture.
Developing accountability skills is challenging; it takes courage and the willingness to learn new ways of thinking and acting. So why is moving from blame to accountability worthwhile? Because blame is like sugar – it produces a brief boost and then a let-down. It doesn’t serve the system’s long-term needs and can actually prevent it from functioning effectively. On the other hand, developing accountability skills and habits on every level of your organization can be an important element in maintaining your organization’s long-term health.