If someone is unsuccessful, it is always the fault of their boss, their race, their spouse, their gender or their environment, at least as far as the person in question is concerned, but is this a cop-out?
When people are playing the “blame game,” it means that everyone is blaming each other for a mistake or problem. Rather than acknowledging individual roles in what might have went wrong, each person tries to pass the blame off onto someone else. It becomes a cycle that avoids responsibility and accountability as people try to protect their reputation and prevent guilt.
The blaming game often stems from a fear of the consequences of a mistake. This might involve pointing fingers at others, denying responsibility, and excluding scapegoats. It creates tension in groups and can damage relationships, but it also harms individuals and organizations. Creating an environment of empathy, having clear roles and responsibilities, and emphasizing solutions are a few ways to help minimize the blaming game.
Here are some indications that someone is playing the blame game:
- Finger-pointing: People may point fingers at others. For instance, they may say, “Jill was supposed to send me the data for the graphs. I couldn’t make the graphs without that information.”
- Denial: People may deny their responsibility. For instance, they may say, “No one told me we needed to include graphs in the presentation, how was I supposed to know?”
- Exclusion: People may consistently exclude or marginalize a member of the group, and then make them the scapegoat when things go wrong.
The blame game shapes how you view the world as you will constantly be concerned with avoiding the burden of being accountable for wrongdoing, which takes valuable energy away from forming strong connections with those around you.
Others are perceived as competitors instead of partners, which causes these folks to be isolated, less well-liked, and mistrusted. In turn, these people create self-fulfilling prophecies, as others will view them as selfish, and be less inclined to help them or advocate on their behalf in the wake of future mistakes, further polarizing them against others.
There is an aspect of righteous indignation when it comes to blame and how it makes others feel dignified in comparison to the person at fault. Blame is a negative experience that can be painful and humiliating for the person who is assigned fault.
Over time, a culture of blame and negativity at an organization can cause the organization to suffer. It can inhibit creativity and innovation, as people are too scared to try things for fear of repercussions if something goes wrong.
It can also cause other stakeholders such as customers and suppliers to lose faith in the organization. For instance, if a customer calls because they have an issue and the response is “That error was made by someone in accounting, we’re the operations team and we can’t do anything about it,” there is bound to be frustration.
A lot of problems may also go unaddressed, because people may be too afraid to report them and face the blame. This can lead to a lot of inefficiency in organizations, as people may find it easier to pretend there aren’t any problems instead.
Just the fact that we need to be writing about this subject is evidence enough that for the most part, people cannot accept that they are responsible for their own actions. Race, sex, religion and economic standing are all used far too often as an excuse for failure or underachievement or just plain laziness.
