Which is better ? Collective or individual responsibility for mistakes at work?

Question

At our office collective repsonsibilty is not working as people aren't taking enough notice of messages sent about them. So for me individuals must take responsibility for their mistakes at work.

Answer 1

Sounds too much like school, when the whole class gets detention because of one person. As adults we are responsible for our own mistakes and should own up to them. You should get more respect from employers for that.

Answer 2

A healthy environment has some tolerance if people foul up within reason, and put sthe emphasis on learning from the experience and preventing mistakes from recurring (rather than blaming individuals or groups for mistakes).

In reality, it's a real demotivator for those who make sure they get it right first time if the next chap along fluffs up everything he touches, dragging down the team's averages, and nothing is done about it.

If individuals do not feel accountable, then your performance management processes definitely need a fresh look. There are quality problems happening and the solution has not been effective. Perhaps the carrots and sticks are out of kilter. Perhaps nobody is measuring the things which are causing the problems - or the root cause has gone undiagnosed.

Could you introduce some level of quality checking that fits your operation, linked to the appraisal/rewards system? Could you have a regular team meeting at which this sort of issue could be regularly discussed, so that everyone comes to recognise concern about quality as part of their job? It won't suit all environments, but having a quality league table can be effective if there are several people operating the same processes.

Answer 3

I Agree, I Think That If There Is A Problem, It Should Be Traceable To A Single Individual, And Not Be Blamed On A Group, 'Cos Everyone In That Group Will Blame The Others.

So When You Can Say "He Did It" *Points And Blamee* And Be Right, Then There Will Be Less Problems, 'Cos Theres Nothing People Hate More Than Being Cought For Something They Did Wrong.

Answer 4

Is the question about collective versus personal responsibilities or really about the team management processes at work.

Ultimately, some will hold more authority than others and the management there may simply need to refocus to ensure that someone is managing everything and there are no gaps.

The best managers are going to be rewarding their staff and also steering the course of all work being done, after noticing errors and omissions. The Titanic may not have sank if it had changed course appropriately. Lets hope the management quality there with you is great.

Of course, there are always going to be legal responsibilities, such as for Health and Safety at work, where individuals and collective - corporate - responsibilities are in force. It's a good model.

Good luck! Rob

Answer 5

It depends. If it was a person's fault and it was due to lack of training then it should be a collective responsibility for not ensuring they were fully trained to do their jobs.
It should be individual when someone knows the procedures well and just did not bother checking whether what they were doing was right, then someone needs to speak to that individual person about it.
Sometimes errors happen in the whole system and that's when it should go back to being a collective responsibility.
I think they should evaluate at work whether something was human error or whether it was a generic error.
It is my point of view that the manager should take responsibility as it's their own fault when there are errors within their department.

Answer 6

My husband works under the collective responsibility 'law'. He worked alongside one other individual who did NOTHING! My husband has complained about this for the last 5 years but his management (who work at another location) just look at team results (all achieved by my husband, ALONE) and have constantly said that they're doing ok together so what's the problem? My hubby has had to sit and watch whilst this dimwitted slowpoke has taken praise for his hard graft time and again. This doofus has even been known to fall asleep at his desk. Management has changed so many times above them that the same cycle keeps coming around again and again. My husband complains, they say the results they're getting from the 'team' are fine.

Eventually, there came a situation where the idiot had to try and figure something basic out for himself. He failed miserably and finally (like I said, after FIVE years) he's been found out and tested. The management now realise he can't even do the basics and have appologised to my husband and officially told him he's in charge of the doof.

I think you can guess which side of this fence I sit on.

Answer 7

Blame culture does not help anyone, although I do agree that individuals or a group of individuals should take responsibility for their actions and mistakes. However, when mistakes happen, the culture should not be to find out who is or how many are to blame. The culture should be to agree both a corrective and a preventive action. It should be part of a learning process as well as an opportunity to improve procedures and processes in order to prevent a recurrence. This improvement could involve training of one or more employees or a change in an existing procedure.

Answer 8

Collective responsibility, where team members share the glory and the blame, looks good all around. Being part of a team under a collective heading is very empowering to the individuals. However, you almost always have a slacker in the the group. I'd report the person who is not pulling their weight. Depending on the bosses personality, (for a detail-oriented boss, approach them armed, with details of events, dates, etc.--for a boss who sees the big picture only, just tell them what you see and how it is affecting the team and the project. Be prepared to answer rapid-fire questions). I, myself agree that collective responsibility is a better approach BUT in some instances, you just have to make the decision that is best for the entire team, and sometimes that involves singling out the offenders.

Answer 9

I agree. It is almost always better for individuals to take responsibility for their mistakes. Lets face it not everyone will come forward and admit to mistakes made and others pass blame so individual responsibility is better because that way changes can be made to move in the right direction. Look at it as being proactive.

Answer 10

I think individual. All the no blame culture collective approach is a waste of time - best to admit the mistake, learn from it and move on. That way there is less hard feeling and more respect is built.

Answer 11

If people are ignoring the e-mails about their work, then an e-mail isn't enough. The office needs to change its system if the system isn't getting results.
People need training and feedback to do a good job. If their attitude is to slack and let others carry the can then the collective system can't work. It drags the team down.
People that screw around aren't good for office morale or good working practices whatever system you use!