Point Lookout: a free weekly publication of Chaco Canyon Consulting
Volume 24, Issue 31;   July 31, 2024: When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: II

When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: II

by

Retrospectives are widely recognized as reliable tools for fostering organizational learning, though in some organizations, they can degenerate into blamefests. Here are four measures that can reduce the chances of trouble in a coming retrospective.

Because retrospectives are such effective tools for fostering organizational learning, avoiding them altogether as a means of preventing blamefests is a sacrifice few organizations can afford. Last time I offered four guidelines for conducting retrospectives more safely. In this post I offer four safety-enhancing guidelines for preparing for retrospectives.

Anti-preparations for retrospectives

A blame session in progress

A blame session in progress. This image is cartoonish in the sense that in real blame sessions, the blamers rarely adopt such exaggerated poses. More typically, blamers present themselves as thoughtful and calm. They speak in measured tones and present themselves as reluctantly delivering facts. But because facts are rarely as one-sided as blamers would like, blamers at times resort to careful selection of facts, and sometimes, careful editing. Image by Yan Krukau, courtesy Pexels.com.

When a retrospective is scheduled in an organization that has a history of troubled retrospectives, people prepare well in advance for the coming blamefest. They devise excuses. They address the work with the blamefest in mind. They know that trouble is coming, and they seek safety by preparing for the trouble. I call these preparations anti-preparations, because even though they look like constructive preparation, they amount to little more than stockpiling ammunition for the coming blamefest.

In advance of the event, preparations that take these anti-preparations into account can make controlling the retrospective more effective. The focus of advance anti-anti-preparations should be making blaming more obvious.

Measures that we can deploy in advance of a coming retrospective

Here are four examples of anti-anti-preparations measures.

In the planning stage, create impersonal names for events
Define names for specific events that are planned to occur during the work. For example, for the first integration test of the Green modules, define the name Green Integration. Names like these are handy at every stage of the work, including during the retrospective.
But more important, they prevent the practice of using personal names or business unit names during the retrospective. That practice can easily lead to blaming behavior. For example, suppose that instead of "Green Integration" we use the name "Integrating Randy's work." Suppose also that the work takes two weeks longer than planned. Compare these two statements for their effect on blaming behavior:
  • We were late because Integrating Randy's work took longer than planned.
  • We were late because Green Integration took longer than planned.
Personal names for events elevate the risk of blaming.
Don't mix ranks
When a retrospective occurs in an organization
with a history of blamefests, people prepare for
the blamefest. They devise excuses; they
address the work with the blamefest in mind.
They seek safety by preparing for war.
A mixed-rank participant roster is one in which some of the participants are in roles that lie within the report chains of other participants. This situation creates a temptation on the part of rivals to call out individuals' performance in the presence of their superiors, an act that then invites retaliation. Perversely, it also creates a temptation on the part of close friends not to raise issues that could call a friend's performance into question. Mixed-rank rosters are analogous to tinderboxes. They invite blaming and suppress truth.
In organizations that use 360-degree feedback processes for performance management, there is a risk that retaliation cycles that are related to the 360 process and which are unrelated to the retrospective can propagate into the retrospective. Monitoring the data collected by the performance management system can provide early warning of this difficulty.
Require attendance
Everyone is important. Make clear to all participants that attendance is required. Absence or partial absence can deprive the event of a source of information about the happenings that occurred during execution of the work. That knowledge void can cause the group to come to incorrect conclusions about what, how, who, when, or why as it tries to identify past successes and future adjustments.
But with respect to blamefests, there is another more important reason to require attendance. With respect to some unwelcome event, it's easier to blame someone who's absent than it is to blame someone who's present. Absenteeism — even partial absenteeism — encourages blaming.
Conduct training for retrospective participants
Train everyone in retrospective participation. Ensure that everyone understands what blaming is, what the role of the facilitator is, why we use impersonal names for events, what behavioral norms are, what the "X-happened" formulation is, why attendance is required, and so on. Also explain how your retrospective supports anonymous contributions, and what safeguards are in place to protect anonymity. [Atwater 2007]
Consider the possibility that participants in your retrospective might also be participants in another retrospective shortly before or after yours. Those other retrospectives might have different expectations and norms, which might be different enough to cause confusion. Perhaps these differences can be resolved by both retrospectives making adjustments, but if not, explain to participants that there are differences between your event and other events. Ask for their help in following your event plan.

Last Words

If the pattern of retrospectives descending into blamefests is well established, one possible — even probable — cause is the nature of the organizational culture. A blame-oriented culture can overwhelm any measures you take to control behavior in your retrospectives. [Brenner 2005.1] If the problem is actually a blame-oriented culture, address that first. [Brenner 2014.1] Compelling abstinence from blaming behavior patterns doesn't work in blame-oriented cultures.

Next time I'll examine measures to take following retrospectives.  When retrospectives turn into blamefests: I First issue in this series   When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: III Next issue in this series  Go to top Top  Next issue: When Retrospectives Turn into Blamefests: III  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
[Atwater 2007]
Leanne E. Atwater, Joan F. Brett, and Atira Cherise Charles. "Multisource feedback: Lessons learned and implications for practice," Human Resource Management. Published in Cooperation with the School of Business Administration, The University of Michigan and in alliance with the Society of Human Resources Management, 46:2 (2007), pp. 285-307. Available here. Retrieved 13 July 2024. Back
[Brenner 2005.1]
Richard Brenner. "Top Ten Signs of a Blaming Culture," Point Lookout blog, February 16, 2005. Available here. Back
[Brenner 2014.1]
Richard Brenner. "Changing Blaming Cultures," Point Lookout blog, March 5, 2014. Available here. Back

Your comments are welcome

Would you like to see your comments posted here? rbrenaXXxGCwVgbgLZDuRner@ChacDjdMAATPdDNJnrSwoCanyon.comSend me your comments by email, or by Web form.

About Point Lookout

This article in its entirety was written by a 
          human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Conflict Management:

A target with darts in itWhen You're the Target of a Bully
Workplace bullies are probably the organization's most expensive employees. They reduce the effectiveness not only of their targets, but also of bystanders and of the organization as a whole. What can you do if you become a target?
Roasted chestnuts. Can you smell their aroma?Making Memories to Cherish
We all have cherished memories — lovely moments we can replay whenever we want to feel happy. How would you like to have a lot more of them?
A water pumpPumpers
In workplace politics, some people always seem to be seeking information about others, but they give very little in return. They're pumpers. What can you do to deal with pumpers?
A U.S. Marine sniper wearing sniper camouflage gear known as a "ghillie" suitHow Targets of Bullies Can Use OODA: II
To make the bullying stop, many targets of bullies try to defend themselves. But defense alone is not sufficient — someone must make the bully stop. That's why counterattack is much more likely to work.
Marie Antoinette, queen of France from 1774 to 1792Recognizing Hurtful Dismissiveness
"Never mind" can mean anything from "Excuse me, I'm sorry," to, "You lame idiot, it's beyond you," and more. The former is apologetic and courteous. The latter is dismissive and hurtful. We have dozens of verbal tactics for hurting each other dismissively. How can we recognize them?

See also Conflict Management for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Mark Twain in 1907Coming July 9: On Being Seriously Funny at Work
Humor is such a valuable tool at work that it ought to be recognized as an official contribution by team members who provide the laughs that keep some teams from auto-destructing. Even if you're not known for bringing the funny, there are a few simple techniques that can change your image. Available here and by RSS on July 9.
Mark Twain in 1907And on July 16: Responding to Unwelcome Events
Unwelcome events have two kinds of effects on decision-makers. One set of effects appears as we respond to events that have actually occurred. Another set manifests itself as we prepare for unwelcome events that haven't yet occurred, but which might occur. Making a wrong decision in either case can be costly. Available here and by RSS on July 16.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenaXXxGCwVgbgLZDuRner@ChacDjdMAATPdDNJnrSwoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

Reprinting this article

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info

Follow Rick

Send email or subscribe to one of my newsletters Follow me at LinkedIn Follow me at Bluesky, or share a post Subscribe to RSS feeds Subscribe to RSS feeds
The message of Point Lookout is unique. Help get the message out. Please donate to help keep Point Lookout available for free to everyone.
Technical Debt for Policymakers BlogMy blog, Technical Debt for Policymakers, offers resources, insights, and conversations of interest to policymakers who are concerned with managing technical debt within their organizations. Get the millstone of technical debt off the neck of your organization!
Go For It: Sometimes It's Easier If You RunBad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? Learn what we can do when we love the work but not the job.
303 Tips for Virtual and Global TeamsLearn how to make your virtual global team sing.
101 Tips for Managing ChangeAre you managing a change effort that faces rampant cynicism, passive non-cooperation, or maybe even outright revolt?
101 Tips for Effective MeetingsLearn how to make meetings more productive — and more rare.
Exchange your "personal trade secrets" — the tips, tricks and techniques that make you an ace — with other aces, anonymously. Visit the Library of Personal Trade Secrets.
If your teams don't yet consistently achieve state-of-the-art teamwork, check out this catalog. Help is just a few clicks/taps away!
Ebooks, booklets and tip books on project management, conflict, writing email, effective meetings and more.