In addition to the family, the environment also plays a role in the blame game. For example, many Gen Y’ers feel they are entitled, so they need to be praised more than others. Sex and ethnicity also play a big part. Many women, for example, underestimate their worth and take the blame for things that may not be in their control.
The office culture also has a lot to do with the blame game. By encouraging people to speak up and voice their opinion while being listened often empowers the employees. However, if the employee speaks up and isn’t heard, that creates a whole new dynamic that will ultimately lead to failure in the workplace.
Dattner offers a whole chapter dedicated to practical approaches to change the Blame Game. The supervisor can control or eliminate a blame culture by:
- Getting employees to buy-in by having brainstorming sessions and think tanks.
- Focusing on the future instead of the past – you can’t change what happened but you can control what will happen.
- Evaluating all individuals working for him/her and tailor his/her management style.
- Rewarding people for taking blame and punish those who pass off the blame.
In closing Dattner writes, “It is painful to all of us to get blamed when we don’t receive the credit we deserve and unfairly blamed for things that we didn’t do. But don’t respond in quick impulsive and self-serving ways. Because this will cause pain to others and the blame game will take the lead.” He says the only winning move in the blame game is not to play!
The Blame Game made me think about my own organization. What do my staff think? Do they feel as if they are listened to and acknowledged for their good work? I hope they know they are appreciated every day. I plan on sharing the takeaways with my staff because I feel that it is applicable to client relations.
I thought The Blame Game was well-written and useful. It was thought-provoking and I would recommend this to my peers.
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