The Blame Game Culture at Work with Ben Dattner

Ben Dattner Webinar!2011/03/31!

The Blame Game!

Daniel Debow!co-CEO, Rypple!

rypple.com!

Our guest!

Ben Dattner!Author, The Blame Game!

creditandblame.com!

Your host!

About Me:!

• Ben Dattner, Ph.D. is an organizational psychologist, and the founder of Dattner Consulting, a workplace consulting firm based in New York City.!

• Ben is an Adjunct Professor at New York University, where he teaches Organizational Development in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology MA Program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.!

• Ben received a BA in Psychology from Harvard College, and an MA and Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from New York University!

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Blame in a changing world!

A new, counterintuitive approach!

The Nature of Credit and Blame!1. !

Monkeys and bats!

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Finding a balance "

The Nurture of Credit and Blame!2. !

•  ! How kids learn!

•  ! The potential pitfalls of praise!

•  ! The most praised generation?!

!Fixed versus growth orientations!

•  Finding your !

•  Transference at work!

•  Blame and depression!

Key Dimensions!

1.  Power Distance!

2.  Individualism!

3.  Masculinity!

4.  Uncertainty Avoidance!

5.  Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation!

•  ! Gender differences!

•  ! Cultural differences and dimensions!

•  ! Dana’s story !

Typecasting Blame!

The Big Five:!

Openness

Conscientiousness Extroversion

Agreeableness Neuroticism

Hogan’s 3 Categories and !

!! ! ! !11 Dysfunctional Types…!

Typecasting Blame- Extrapunitive !

1. Excitable: “Volatile Guardian”!

•  Overreacts to minor mistakes!•  Determines failure prematurely!•  Assigns blame unfairly!•  Reacts defensively to feedback !

2. Cautious: “Sensitive Retirer”!

•  Strives to minimize risk of failure yet ! pessimistically expects failure.!•  Withdraws after being blamed!•  Too defensive to learn from feedback !

3. Skeptical: “Wary Watcher”!•  Believes he will be unfairly blamed!•  Strives to avoid blame!•  Sees criticism in constructive advice !

4. Leisurely: “Rationalizing Blamer” !

•  Refuses to take responsibility!•  Often blames the person who gave her ! the task !•  Believes she is always blamed unfairly!

Typecasting Blame- Impunitive!

5. Bold: “Big Person on Campus”!•  Becomes angry or hurt when blamed!•  Ingratiates with superiors and distorts ! information in order to avoid blame!

6. Mischievous: “High Wire Walker” !•  Denies failure has occurred or denies ! his role in it !•  Highly skilled at avoiding blame !

7. Reserved: “Indifferent Daydreamer”! •  Ignores potentially helpful feedback !•  Seems not to care if she or her team ! fail or are blamed !

8. Colorful: “Thespian” !•  Expects others to forgive him for any ! and all failures !•  Would rather be blamed than ignored !

9. Imaginative: “Assertive Daydreamer” !

•  Provides complex explanations for! failures !•  Seems anxious about the possibility of ! being blamed in the future, but ! indifferent to it in the present!

Typecasting Blame- Intropunitive !

10. Diligent: “Micromanager”!

•  Criticizes himself for even minor errors!•  Is so concerned about failure he suffers ! from “analysis paralysis” !•  Assigns blame in an “all or nothing” ! manner !

11. Dutiful: “Martyr”!

•  Accepts more blame than she deserves ! in order to preserve work relationships!•  Blames herself so harshly that it deflects ! others’ criticisms !

Typecasting Blame!

•  ! The use and misuse of personality assessment!

•  ! “The psychology of the stranger”!

•  ! “States” versus “traits” !

•  ! The importance of situations!

Situational Awareness!

•  The Prisoner’s Dilemma!•  Groupthink and social pressure!•  Robber’s Cave!

Some examples:!

•  Ghosn at Nissan!

•  AOL and Time Warner!

•  Spritz co.!

Self-fulfilling prophecies!

Cultures of Blame!5. !

•  Fighter pilots!•  The 9/11 Commission!•  The exploding rocket!

American Airlines! Southwest!

Learning to fail!

Failing to learn!VS.!

Open vs. Closed Organizations!

The story of Lt. Sims!

Leaders Reframe Blame!6. !

Eisenhower on D-Day!

Truman and the buck!

Open Leaders!

Dell ! ! ! ! !Sanger! ! ! ! !Nayar!

Sharing the credit:"Burns!

Practical Approaches:"

Individuals!

Develop your ! ! !and network!

nowledge,!kills,!

bility’s!

http://www.dattnerconsulting.com/presentations/networking.pdf!

Practical Approaches:"

Leaders!

Be a blame-savvy boss!

•  Take an open, adaptive approach!•  Focus on the future and not the past!•  Tailor your style!

Rypple Feedback !!

Some questions to ask:!•  How do I come across in the ways I assign credit and blame?!•  Do I encourage people to speak up and push back?!•  Do I claim more credit than I am due?!

Rypple Recognition!

Fight groupthink!

•  Get and keep the right people on the bus!•  Establish a safe but not comfortable environment!

Write a “Managerial user’s manual” for your

new team!

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Ben Dattner, Ph.D.!ben@dattnerconsulting.com!1-212-501-8945!

www.creditandblame.com !

Want an easy way to use Ben’s best practices in your workplace?

Try Rypple today!

Contact us to learn how: events@rypple.com

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The Blame Game Culture at Work with Ben Dattner

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