Are you managing blame or solutions?

It can be tempting to blame the person we feel is responsible for failure, for falling short of goals, missing deadlines, or for generally being unsuccessful.  Basic quality improvement principles state that the source of a problem can fall into one or more categories – materials, equipment, environment, methods, people.  So why is it so common to assign the blame to a person? As a manager, next time you ‘re frustrated with an employee, ask yourself – have you given the employee the right tools or training to do the job? Are there processes in place that interfere with success? Is the economic environment interfering with methods that would otherwise be successful?  The idea of getting rid of an employee you blame for failure may be a tempting idea of a way to get a fresh start, but unless you address the real source or sources of a problem, you’ll find yourself trying to solve the same problem all over again. On the other hand, involving the employee in a discussion about the source of the problem, and engaging that person in problem solving, can result in a satisfying solution for both you and the employee. For examples of problem solving techniques that help identify the core source(s) of problems, including the very useful Cause and Effect (or Ishikawa) Diagram,  I like  http://www.siliconfareast.com/ishikawa2.htm.