Do You Work in a Blame Culture?

Do you work in a blame culture? The hallmark is a sense of defensive tension over being judged as “wrong” or having screwed up. It may not involve shouting or explicit shaming, but it seems as though whenever something doesn’t go right, blame has to be pinned to an individual or a group. As a result, people keep their heads down or are on guard to avoid being the target.

A pervasive blame culture stifles learning, healthy risk taking, and professional development. It breeds mistrust and withholding, and the best workers tend to leave when they get the opportunity. An unfortunate aspect of toxic workplace culture is that it tends to be self-perpetuating; unlikely to change without new leadership or some kind of explicit intervention.

If you find yourself in a blame culture and are not the leader, what can you do as an individual? It’s unlikely that you alone can right the collective dynamics, but you can take steps for your personal benefit and contribute to the workplace culture in healthier ways.

Recognize the Payoffs

What do people get from a blame culture? What needs are met, or what functions does blame serve? Possibilities include the ability to direct attention away from themselves and their own performance. There is also a sense of self-righteousness in judging others as having messed up, so in a twisted way the person casting blame may feel better about themselves. To the extent that the process of assigning blame is a group one, playing the blame game can reinforce peoples’ bonds and a sense of belonging. Recognizing possible payoffs helps create a bit of cognitive distance so that you can choose not to be enticed when temptation strikes. Be aware that the enticements of blaming are liable to be most attractive when you’re feeling stressed or under attack.

Refuse to Feed the Beast

It’s easy to get pulled into playing the blame game when it seems everyone else is. Instead, make a personal commitment to opt out. When others start to point fingers, no matter how subtly, remain detached and don’t add to the conversation or gossip. Your lack of participation may be noticed, prompting someone to ask what you think or know about the situation. Prepare a stock response so that whenever you’re invited to play, you’re not caught off guard. One example is, “I’m working on not judging others, so I don’t want to speculate on what happened (or why it happened).” Another Is, “I feel like it isn’t my place/role to point fingers in this case.” A more lighthearted response, said with a chuckle, is, “I have a hard enough time keeping track of myself let alone others.”

Redirect When You Can

In any work setting, some things will go wrong. So what does the opposite of a blame culture look like? Instead of meeting failures with casting blame, failures are analyzed as to process so that they can be corrected and prevented. It’s not the person who is the problem but the process. Ideally, such instances are viewed as learning and improvement opportunities.

You may not be able to shift the culture entirely, but you could serve as a role model by introducing such a perspective through your comments. When others are focusing on who to blame, try shifting the focus to solutions. “We have an opportunity here to learn how this happened so that we can help ensure that it is corrected and doesn’t happen again. What do you all think?”

Often in a blame culture it is implied or stated that to fix or prevent the problem, figuring out who screwed up is necessary. Then that person is asked, “Why did you do that?” On the surface, it may seem solution-focused, but the scapegoat feels accused and naturally reacts defensively, perhaps even trying to shift blame. Instead, try introducing a different approach. “I believe that no one here intentionally tries to make mistakes or do a poor job, but we’re all human and it happens. So I’d like to focus on the steps that led to this situation so that we can improve.”

Find Allies

There may be others who recognize the blame culture, or at least are not avid fans of it. In separate conversations it might be possible to align with these folks to support each other outside of the larger group. If they too decide not to feed the beast, some of the usual fuel to fan the flames of blame will be missing. To know that others share your views and ultimate goals is encouraging and may strengthen your resolve to take a different path.

Choose the Source of Your Self-Esteem

Sourcing your self-esteem in the approval of others is generally a bad idea, and definitely so when those others are leaders or coworkers in a blame culture. Even if praise is offered for good performance, it is likely only a matter of time until each person is on the receiving end of blame (ouch!). Focus on your own assessment of the quality of your work and the impact it has. Reinforce yourself when you feel satisfied or proud of what you’ve done. Although it is ideal to derive self-esteem at work, that can be very difficult in many situations. When that’s the case, it’s important to consciously rely on other aspects of life for a sense of competence, efficacy, and pride.

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Of course not all of these strategies may apply to your situation and individuality. A common thread among them is maintaining consciousness about what is happening and the possible options for your role within the larger group culture. Ultimately you may leave when the opportunity arises, and one benefit of having successfully navigated a blame culture is that you will be more sensitive to assessing the culture surrounding a new job, thus avoiding a repeat experience. In the meantime, you can take pride in taking the higher road within a toxic culture.