Scapegoating In Development Teams

July 21st, 2007

What is a scapegoat? It’s a metaphor derived from the ancient Hebrew practice of placing the sins of the nation upon a sacrificial goat who was sent into the wilderness. In modern times, it refers to someone who is blamed for misfortunes as a way to distract attention from the real causes. In software development teams scapegoating of a team member (or members) usually happens because of a breakdown or lack of good procedures and processes. These are almost always associated with failed teamwork and leadership.

What Causes Scapegoating?

Scapegoating usually begins as a result of pressure on a team that occurs when things begin to fall apart during a project. For example, a development team doesn’t use version control and a key update is lost. Logically, it would be a lack of good process by the team as a whole that caused the problem. However, often people find it more comforting to find someone to assign blame to, preferably someone politically weaker in the organization than themselves. The typical end result is the firing or reassigning of the ‘goat’. However, this does not address the underlying fault so the team is doomed to repeat the cycle again and again.

In fact, scapegoating can become so bad in a department that people group themselves together in ‘alliances’, almost like a reality game show, to defend themselves. One group fights another, people get angry and stressed, people get fired, but what doesn’t happen is much work. Everyone is too busy fighting a nasty political game to get things done. In the worse case scenario, this problem infects management and even the rest of the company.

Another contributing factor to scapegoating are misguided and improperly implemented human resources policies like 360 degree performance appraisals or forced ranking. While these programs might be of value in some cases, most of the time they only increase the dog-eat-dog atmosphere in a dysfunctional team or company environment. These systems really fall apart when management has begun the ‘blame game’ along with the employees under their supervision by taking sides.

What are some signs that a team is moving into scapegoatism?

One of the early warning signs is when one, or maybe two, people are ostracized by the group or are shown obvious signs of disrespect. For example, people on the team make a point of not inviting a person to lunch when everyone else is going or openly use disrespectful language toward a person on the team. If a team lead or manager allows this kind of behavior to continue it will escalate into more serious problems ranging from lost productivity to workplace bullying.

Another sign that the team is moving in this direction is the formation of cliques within the group that seem always to be at odds with each other. While it is natural for people to hang out with other people they like at work this can become unhealthy to team dynamics if it begins to take on an ‘us against them’ mentality. This typically reaches a boiling point when a lead or manager is given the choice of deciding who was right in a conflict. Often there are no right answers and a quick decision one way or the other results in a loss of credibility and respect for the manager.

What can a team lead or manager do to prevent this problem?

The main thing to do is address the underlying causes of the situation. Since these are almost always process related things that cause stress in the team take the time to assess this area. Do you have process areas that need improvement? If so, work on correcting them. If you don’t think you do, check again, because you probably have overlooked something. Are human resources policies causing problems in the team? Lobby to exempt the team from them, at least temporarily. You are the ’spear catcher’ for the team and you should protect them from outside productivity killers. If the situation has already become so toxic that making these changes is impossible, then you may want to prepare your resume because things can only go downhill from here on out.

Watch out for people blaming others for problems, particularly unjustly or in a derogatory or gossipy manner. Urge team members to criticize the process not the person. Ask them what can be done to improve the process and keep them focused on this and not on the scapegoat. As team lead, you should avoid playing favorites when it comes to assigning work and socializing. If people under you are having problems, mentor them, find out what the problem is and look for solutions to the situation. Don’t write them off as worthless and give in to the desire to blame them for the team’s woes or use them as a pawn for the next round of downsizing.

Another important thing is not to ignore the problem. Some managers find it easier for them to ignore these kinds of problems and push them under the surface by ignoring communications or by not making any changes that would help relieve the problem. They may think that they’re not taking sides in a conflict and are staying above it but actually all they’re doing is simply abdicating their role as leader of the team or department. As manager, it’s your responsibility to take care of these problems, not to sweep them under the rug.

What are your ideas on this topic? Have you ever worked in an organization where scapegoating got out of hand? If you do or have, leave a comment about it.

Entry Filed under: Development Teams

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