Blame — Article by Mary Poppendieck
Here's a nice article by Mary Poppendieck, who is known for her work with Lean software development (including the book Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash)
“Note the thinking here: Problems are caused by people who don't do their job well, so finding someone to blame is the first step to correcting problems.”
Even though Mary's field is software, you'll find something to learn in her article, as she talks about the history in terms of manufacturing and engineering.
Why is blame so common in any human system? It's pretty well hard wired into us — Koko the Gorilla, who learned sign language, once blamed her pet cat (yes, it's true, read about it here). Little kids quickly learn to blame, it's one of the first things they do with their communications abilities.
In business, why can't we evolve past gorillas and children? Why do we normally point the finger of blame when something goes wrong, instead of looking at the system and systemic causes?
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Mark's new book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation.
He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean.
Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.