Who Shoulders Blame and Why Should We Care?

Ever miss seeing a person in your side-view mirror? When something goes wrong, pointing a finger's more often a first reactions rather than admitting a mistake? Ever wonder why blaming someone else comes so easily?

Photo by a2gemma

Consider this scenario...

At work, a note with an outlined project got lost in the pile on my desk. A week later when Dr. Weber inquired if the project was ready, I asked for the details. It was humbling to realize I had been careless. I confessed that I somehow lost it.

Why is it so hard to admit a mistake?

Ego and social conditioning.

We all want to look good. A natural instinct arises to protect our self-image. Over time, unless we learn to own up to mistakes and be accountable, we easily blame a circumstance to "save face."

We see many other people blaming others in the course of a week. Blaming others is soon embedded in our brains, since we witness it frequently. It works like a mirror-image. The old saying, "Monkey see, monkey do," best describes the action as discussed by Dr. Daniel Glaser.

However, letting ego and social conditioning shape our actions often spells disaster. And in this recession, fear can become more of a factor driving actions...

"Blame creates a culture of fear," Nathanael J. Fast of Stanford said, "and this leads to a host of negative consequences for individuals and for groups."

A manager can keep a lid on the behavior by rewarding employees who learn from their mistakes and by making a point to acknowledge publicly his or her own mistakes, Fast says. Managers may also want to assign blame, when necessary, in private and offer praise in public to create a positive attitude in the workplace.

Or, managers could follow the lead of companies such as Intuit, which implemented a "When Learning Hurts" session where they celebrated and learned from mistakes, rather than pointing fingers and assigning blame. The blame contagion research provides empirical evidence that such a practice can avoid negative effects in the culture of the organization.

Capitalize on more magic from your mirror neurons! By paying more attention to leaders who "celebrate and learn from mistakes," we'll create a brain-friendly work culture where people thrive and productivity reaches peaks.

How might you use these strategies to create a more brain-friendly climate that energizes others, rather than blaming them when mistakes are made where you work?