Blame & Fear Cultures: How Profits Over People Can Lead to Tragedy
Catching up on my reading, listening, and watching this summer got me thinking about the work environments where teams truly thrive. Specifically, I began to reflect on how cultures of blame and fear can profoundly affect individuals, teams, organisations, and even society on a global scale. In this article, I examine some of the most tragic examples of this. And, explore the consequences when "Profits over People & Product" becomes a business's driving force. I’ve also included some useful source material.
As we navigate an increasingly unstable global economy, is the needle shifting further toward a "Profit over People" ethos across various industries?
Profits over People means Profits over Product
This is a self-contradictory approach that can manifest in risk-averse, legacy organisations when certain conditions arise. This paradox became tragically evident at Boeing, when two of its 737 MAX 8 planes crashed within five months in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing Case Study
In the latest mini-series of one of my favourite podcasts, American Scandal, which explores the historical business decisions leading to the 737 MAX 8 disasters, Boeing’s missteps are exposed:
A shift from an engineering-first approach to boosting stock prices following a merger in the '90s
Relocating leadership HQ away from Engineering, widening both the physical and objective gap between the two
Outsourcing parts based on profit, not product quality
Underestimating competition and market demand
Fostering a culture of blame and fear
Setting unrealistic timelines, prioritising speed over safety
We know the tragic outcome: lives were lost, and blame initially shifted to airlines and pilots before Boeing acknowledged any internal failures.
Not an isolated Case
The Boeing saga is sadly not unique. I remember, back in 2003, watching news footage of the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrating on reentry, and thinking how could this possibly happen?
Watching the recent BBC miniseries ‘The Space Shuttle that Fell to Earth’ it was clear that siloed teams operating in a culture of fear, blame and unaccountability led to the catastrophic failings. Calls from engineers to review photographs of a piece of debris striking the shuttle seconds after launch, in order to assess potential damage, were ignored. Fear and blame permeated through the ranks.
Blame & Fear Cultures across other Industries
These horrific and tragic events are extreme examples of some of the outcomes which can arise from blame and fear cultures, within business.
Working in technology across various industries, I’ve often reminded my teams during stressful times that we’re not brain surgeons; our work, thankfully , hasn’t been about life and death.
However, in risk-averse industries like banking for example, the same missteps seen at Boeing could lead to significant product failures. A focus on profits over people and product quality, can create a gap between customer needs and the product delivered, leading to serious issues. Or worse, a serious failure in banking systems shutting down international transfers, ATMs and payroll systems.
What can we do as individuals
Understanding the work environment you thrive in is crucial, whether you have five years or 25 years of experience. Recognising what company culture means for you is key to understanding what you need from an employer and what you can contribute to create a positive environment.
Reading one of the preeminent OG agile experts, Diane Larsen’s latest book ‘Leading without Blame’, some key points stand out:
Timothy R. Clark, in his 4 Stages of Psychological Safety framework, defines safety as “a condition in which human beings feel 1) included, 2) safe to learn, 3) safe to contribute, 4) safe to challenge the status quo—all without fear of being embarrassed, marginalised, or punished.”
In his article “How a CEO Can Create Psychological Safety in the Room,” Clark offers excellent strategies for fostering a safe space for open team discussions and minimising the intrinsic power dynamics when the CEO is present. These tips are valuable for any leader or anyone leading a meeting. While some may seem basic, they are easily overlooked in the heat of discussion or debate:
Foster a warm and informal atmosphere to promote psychological safety and collaboration
Buffer strong personalities to ensure equal participation and protect quieter voices
Listen and pause intentionally to show respect and validate others' contributions
Give highly targeted praise and recognition to reinforce valuable behaviours and encourage deeper analysis
Create an environment for safe learning, contribution and inclusion, without fear or blame.
In the book, Larsen and co-author Tricia Broderick provide ‘But what If…’ scenarios with each chapter, which helps to contextualise common issues which individuals or teams may be facing. We cannot wish for the perfect, blameless working culture every minute of every day. People are fallible and we all have off days.
Here are some scenarios covered in the book:
‘But What if…
Due to conflict, people refuse to work together?
A team member, either inadvertently or on purpose, continues to shift blame?
The manager likes their power over others?
People say this is just ‘woke’ nonsense?
I highly recommend this book as a tool for teams and leaders, to support growth and development focused on emotional agility, high performing teams and a more open, blameless working environment.
In Conclusion
Fostering a People-centric environment that delivers high-quality products and drives customer value is essential. It’s important to be proactive in shaping the work culture and addressing these challenges head-on, whatever our position within an organisation.
Recommended viewing, reading, listening!
Podcast - American Scandal: Season 64 - Boeing
Podcast - ACN Agile - regularly features Diana Larsen as a contributor
TV Series - The Shuttle That Fell to Earth
Book - Lead without Blame: Building Resilient Learning Teams by Diana Larsen & Tricia Broderick
Article - ‘How a CEO Can Create Psychological Safety in the Room’ by Timothy R. Clark for Harvard Business Review
My website blog - Agile-Leads