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Volume 24, Issue 30;   July 24, 2024: When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: I

When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: I

by

An interactive group exercise known as a retrospective is widely recognized as a reliable tool for fostering organizational learning. But it can degenerate into blaming and retaliation if not conducted so as to manage the risk of toxic conflict.
The mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb test

The mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb test. The image serves as a metaphor for conflict that has gone out of control. This test was designated Hood, which was part of Operation Plumbob in 1957. According to The Nuclear Weapon Archive, Hood was the largest atmospheric test ever conducted at the Nevada Test Site. The image is from a FEMA (U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency) publicity poster, courtesy WikiMedia.

I once suggested to a client that his team might benefit from conducting retrospectives from time to time, because retrospectives help teams identify what works and what doesn't. His response was: "We tried retrospectives and they just turn into blamefests, so let's find a better way." Thing is, there is no better way. [Kerth 2001] If retrospectives turn into blamefests, the thing to do is to fix them, not ban them.

To make retrospectives worthwhile for groups that have histories of retrospectives turning into blamefests, we must address the ongoing causes of the trouble by taking steps in three domains: before retrospectives, during retrospectives, and after retrospectives. In this Part I, I focus on measures to be taken during retrospectives. See Part II for suggested measures before conducting a retrospective, and Part III for suggested measures for the period after a retrospective.

About blaming and accountability

The word accountability is widely misused. To be accountable for an activity means to be responsible for and answerable for that activity. If something goes wrong, those accountable are expected to answer for their part in the goings-on, because we need their knowledge when we try to perfect our flawed systems. Blame is something more. To be blamed is to be accountable in a way deserving of censure, discipline, or other penalty, either explicit or tacit. [Brenner 2005]

A "blamefest" is an uncontrolled exchange of blaming assertions, counter-assertions, and other retaliations, offered without evidence or effect, other than harm to relationships between blamers and blamed.

Blame-control measures that we can deploy during retrospectives

These measures address the effects of organizational culture, past unpleasant experiences, participant behavior, and patterns of conducting the work itself.

A "blamefest" is an uncontrolled exchange
of blaming assertions, counter-assertions,
and other retaliations, offered without
evidence or effect, other than harm to
relationships between blamers and blamed
Enlist the assistance of an expert facilitator
Facilitating retrospectives is an art in its own right. The benefits of experience are clear, but an expert facilitator brings two advantages even more important to the exercise: neutrality and its close partner, fairness. These advantages are especially important for groups that have histories of retrospectives turning into blamefests.
Be explicit about expectations of behavior
Have the group develop and adopt a list of behavioral norms that apply for the duration of the retrospective. For example, "We treat each other with respect." Another: "We don't interrupt each other." (Expressing them in the present tense does tend to give them more force) Do this as the first order of business. And if trouble breaks out later on, review the list of norms for possible expansion or clarification.
Use anonymity-based tactics
In environments where blamefests are likely, deficits of psychological safety are also likely. [Brenner 2023] When people don't feel psychologically safe, they're often concerned that their comments might invite some form of retaliation. Making it possible for people to contribute to the retrospective anonymously can mitigate these fears.
Don't attribute actions (or inactions) to others by name
It's difficult to blame Person P for Event E without using P's name. You can try to blame P indirectly, but the blaming then becomes more obvious. It goes like this: "E happened, and someone told me P did it." Of course, that's a lie unless someone actually said that P did it. To avoid lying, the formulation can only be the equivalent of, "E happened." And that form is free of blame.

Last words

Certainly we can devise more guidelines that could reduce the likelihood of an outbreak of blaming in a retrospective. But these are a good start. Next time I'll suggest guidelines for measures we can take that occur before a coming retrospective.  When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: II Next issue in this series  Go to top Top  Next issue: When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: II  Next Issue

101 Tips for Managing Conflict Are you fed up with tense, explosive meetings? Are you or a colleague the target of a bully? Destructive conflict can ruin organizations. But if we believe that all conflict is destructive, and that we can somehow eliminate conflict, or that conflict is an enemy of productivity, then we're in conflict with Conflict itself. Read 101 Tips for Managing Conflict to learn how to make peace with conflict and make it an organizational asset. Order Now!

Footnotes

Comprehensive list of all citations from all editions of Point Lookout
[Kerth 2001]
Norman L. Kerth. Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews. New York: Dorset House, 2001. Order from Amazon.com. Back
[Brenner 2005]
Richard Brenner. "Is It Blame or Is It Accountability?," Point Lookout blog, December 21, 2005. Available here. Back
[Brenner 2023]
Richard Brenner. "Contrary Indicators of Psychological Safety: I," Point Lookout blog, December 13, 2023. Available here. Back

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