Blaming cultures 'must be removed through incentives and recognition'

Date: 04/09/2009

Responsibility is a major issue at a number of organisations, it has been highlighted.

Mary Pearson, a Toronto-based management consultant specialising in organisational design and development, told the Financial Post that blaming cultures arise from a low tolerance for mistakes, regardless of how minor they are, though this is linked to an underlying factor of low positive feedback, which also needs to be addressed.

Furthermore, Ms Pearson explained that no incentives and recognition for calculated risks, a lack of courage among middle management or thinly-spread responsibility can also result in such a situation.

She said that a blaming culture can be avoided through a programme of incentives and recognition which in turn promotes good communication and openness in the office.

Ms Pearson asserted: "Introduce policies, processes and reward systems that encourage staff to continually engage in evaluating systemic issues that hinder success and to speak up about them.

"For example, establish performance goals that recognise employees for identifying problems early and suggesting improvements."

Recently, Ms Pearson also highlighted to the newspaper how without structured communication through such things as team building corporate events, a business may struggle to get the best out of their team.

Written by James Farrior

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