Finger Pointing Causes Teamwork Disharmony
The blame game is common in office politics and can cause job demotivation. Remove finger pointing from the workplace for a more productive and happier culture.
When workload, clients and bosses become overwhelming, it is easy for employees in a corporation to resort to the “blame game” when something goes wrong. Placing the blame on other people when mistakes occur is detrimental to corporate culture and creates a sense of discord within an organization. Removing the finger pointing will actually enhance productivity, interpersonal relations and job satisfaction overall.
Effects of the Blame Game
In an organization that is used to finger pointing, employees tend to feel a sense of superiority over others, claiming that they cannot make mistakes. By finger pointing at others, one would eventually become removed from the team and known as a person who is used to “passing the buck.”
Finger pointing is also condescending and humiliating for the person who has to bear the brunt of the blame. Even when a team is at fault, severe finger pointing can lead to the singling out of an employee and can be detrimental to his or her job motivation.
Passing the blame also leads to the attitude that “as long as it was not me [who committed the mistake] why should I care?” The blame game therefore affects productivity. When an error occurs, employees are more concerned with framing a perpetuator rather than solving the problem. This will result in a delay of fixing the problem itself.
When the blame game is common in the office and is not removed from the corporate norm, office politics tend to take higher precedence than recognition of work and improvements when it comes to annual appraisals. Those who have been singled out during the year will be more likely remembered for his or her mistakes rather than their positive contribution to the team or department.
Banish the Blame Game
Management must establish a culture that is positive-oriented, keeping employees happy rather than causing distress when mistakes happen. Having said that, the first step managers should take is to start acknowledging their own mistakes as and when they happen. This way, employees will feel that it is acceptable to err, as long as a lesson has been learned from it. Employees will also be encouraged to admit to their mistakes rather than beat around the bush or pass the buck.
If management witnesses finger pointing within their departments, he or she should be quick to query both sides of the story. Less assertive individuals are more susceptible victims of finger pointing, so it is important to let them have a say in the issue at hand.
Positive reinforcement should also be magnified. When an accomplishment has materialised in the office, it is important to acknowledge it and reward the responsible person or team with adequate praise. If an error occurs within a department, team leaders should be equally responsible for the mistake and work with their team to overcome the error.
Productivity should therefore be of priority. Instead of “who made the mistake?,” employees should ask themselves “what should we do now to mitigate the mistake?” It is therefore important to continuously move forward even if problems arise. This way, employees are not side-tracked by office politics distractions and ignore the important part of their jobs, such as clients and reporting lines.
A Healthier Working Environment
Banishing the blame game from office politics will increase productivity and enhance teamwork within the office. Employees will also be more motivated at their jobs knowing that they will be rewarded for their efforts and that though mistakes happen there are ways to work around them.
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