In too many workplaces, when something goes wrong, people waste far more time and energy assigning blame for it than trying to find a solution," observes Ben Dattner, adding that the recession exacerbated the problem, so that finger-pointing is now more widespread than ever。
本-達(dá)特納發(fā)現(xiàn)：“在職場(chǎng)上，一旦某件事出了差錯(cuò)，人們會(huì)把更多的精力用于相互指責(zé)，而不是努力找出解決方案，這樣的情況太常見(jiàn)了。”他補(bǔ)充道，經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退加劇了這個(gè)問(wèn)題，所以現(xiàn)在轉(zhuǎn)嫁責(zé)任的做法比以前更要普遍。
An organizational psychologist and consultant, Dattner wrote a book called The Blame Game: How the Hidden Rules of Credit and Blame Determine Our Success or Failure. You don't mention whether you've ever talked with your boss about his habit of throwing you under the bus but, if not, it's time to start. "Confronting him is risky, but saying nothing and letting this go on is risky too," Dattner notes。
達(dá)特納是一位組織心理學(xué)家和顧問(wèn)，曾寫(xiě)過(guò)一本書(shū)，名為《責(zé)備游戲：榮譽(yù)潛規(guī)則和責(zé)備如何決定我們的成敗》。關(guān)于你的上司經(jīng)常把你推下火坑這件事，不知道你是否與他交流過(guò)，如果還沒(méi)有，現(xiàn)在是時(shí)候了。達(dá)特納表示：“直接與他對(duì)質(zhì)會(huì)有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，但沉默和逆來(lái)順受同樣有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。”
The key is in how you approach the conversation. Dattner suggests asking lots of questions about exactly why your boss believes a mistake was someone else's fault. Pinning him down on the details -- in a calm, non-accusatory way, of course -- will put him on notice that you're tired of being a scapegoat and you want to prevent it in the future. You may also learn something useful about how he perceives your role, and his own。
關(guān)鍵是如何發(fā)起對(duì)話。達(dá)特納建議，問(wèn)一些具體的問(wèn)題，比如你的上司為什么認(rèn)為錯(cuò)誤是別人造成的。跟他討論出問(wèn)題的細(xì)節(jié)，以此迫使他停止誣陷——當(dāng)然要以平靜、而不是責(zé)難的方式。這會(huì)讓他意識(shí)到，你已經(jīng)受夠了繼續(xù)做他的替罪羊，你希望在未來(lái)阻止這樣的事情再次發(fā)生。你還可能了解到一些有用的東西，比如他如何看待你的角色和他的職責(zé)。
"Try to get to the bottom of what's really going on here," Dattner advises. Is it possible, for instance, that who was accountable for which parts of a given project wasn't clear at the outset, so your boss genuinely believes you or a teammate dropped the ball? "The biggest mistake I've seen people make is reacting to a situation, usually angrily, without really understanding it first."
達(dá)特納說(shuō)：“盡量弄清楚事情的真相。”比如，有沒(méi)有可能是因?yàn)樵谧铋_(kāi)始，大家并沒(méi)有明確誰(shuí)應(yīng)該負(fù)責(zé)某個(gè)項(xiàng)目的哪個(gè)部分，所以你的上司真的以為是你和你的同事犯了錯(cuò)誤?“我遇到過(guò)人們犯的最大的錯(cuò)誤，是非常憤怒地對(duì)這種情況做出反應(yīng)，而并沒(méi)有首先了解事實(shí)的真相。”
Robert Hosking, executive director of staffing company OfficeTeam, agrees. "You need to know exactly how the blame for a problem got assigned to you," he says. "Then steer the discussion toward how to prevent the same thing from happening again."
員工安置公司OfficeTeam執(zhí)行董事羅伯特-霍斯金同意達(dá)特納的觀點(diǎn)。他說(shuō)：“必須弄清楚，到底是什么使你因?yàn)槟硞�(gè)問(wèn)題而受到責(zé)備。之后再去討論如何防止同樣的事情再次發(fā)生。”
One way to head off future finger-pointing, Hosking says, is to start documenting everything you and your teammates do。
"Often everyone is so busy that things get overlooked or slip through the cracks," he says. "So begin each project with a written outline of who is responsible for what, and make sure everyone, including the boss, has a copy and signs off on it." Detailed accountability might even prevent mistakes from happening in the first place。
霍斯金表示，防止未來(lái)被嫁禍的一種方法是，開(kāi)始記錄你和同事做的每一件事。他說(shuō)：“通常情況下，人們太忙了，忽視、錯(cuò)過(guò)了許多事情。所以在每一個(gè)項(xiàng)目開(kāi)始之前，用書(shū)面方式列出每個(gè)人的職責(zé)，同時(shí)確保所有人，包括上司本人在內(nèi)，人手一份，并在上面簽字。”詳細(xì)的責(zé)任分配甚至可以防止錯(cuò)誤的發(fā)生。
As you already suspect, going over your boss's head to complain is so likely to backfire that it has to be a last resort. "If you're being unfairly accused of something that could seriously damage your career, do take it upstairs, and think about involving someone from human resources as well," Hosking says. "But warn your boss first, so he's not blindsided. Invite him to sit in on the meeting. Frame it as a chance to clear the air."
正如你所懷疑的，越過(guò)自己的上司提出投訴，可能會(huì)適得其反，所以這只能作為最后的手段�；羲菇鹫f(shuō)：“如果你因?yàn)槟臣率艿讲还降闹肛?zé)，而這件事會(huì)嚴(yán)重?fù)p害你的職業(yè)發(fā)展，這時(shí)候可以考慮向更高層投訴，并可考慮由人力資源部出面解決。但首先要警告你的上司，以免他會(huì)措手不及。邀請(qǐng)他參加會(huì)議。把這作為消除誤會(huì)，澄清事實(shí)的一次機(jī)會(huì)。”
Small consolation though it might be, Hosking points out that the people your boss reports to are probably already aware that something's amiss. "If this manager has shown a pattern over time of never accepting responsibility for problems, higher-ups are going to notice that," he says. "Don't assume they're oblivious. Eventually, someone will call him on it."
雖然這么說(shuō)只能作為一個(gè)小小的安慰，但霍斯金指出，你上司的上級(jí)或許早已察覺(jué)到事情不正常。他說(shuō)：“如果你的上司表現(xiàn)出從來(lái)不肯承擔(dān)責(zé)任的態(tài)度，高層肯定會(huì)注意到這一點(diǎn)。不要假設(shè)他們對(duì)此并不在意。最終，肯定會(huì)有人找他清算的。”
In the meantime, Ben Dattner has one additional suggestion for you: Concentrate on building a strong network。
"A boss who denies you credit and unfairly blames you may change [his] tune when he realizes that others, both inside and outside the organization, recognize your talent," he writes in The Blame Game。
此外，本-達(dá)特納還有另外一條建議：集中精力建立一個(gè)強(qiáng)有力的人際關(guān)系網(wǎng)絡(luò)。他在《責(zé)備游戲》中寫(xiě)道：“如果你的上司否認(rèn)你的功勞，還對(duì)你橫加指責(zé)，等他意識(shí)到公司內(nèi)外都認(rèn)可你的才能時(shí)，他或許會(huì)改變自己的態(tài)度。”
A robust network of fans can make you more likely to be offered other jobs, inside and outside the company, Dattner notes, and "even the most credit-hogging and blame-dumping boss will not want to be viewed as out of step with others in the organization, or to be blamed for being the reason why a talented, hard-to-replace employee left."
達(dá)特納表示，強(qiáng)有力的粉絲網(wǎng)絡(luò)讓你更有可能從內(nèi)部和外部獲得其他工作機(jī)會(huì)，即便是“最貪圖功勞和熱衷嫁禍他人的上司，也不希望自己被認(rèn)為與公司其他人步調(diào)不一致，也不希望因?yàn)橐晃粌?yōu)秀的、難以替代的員工離職而受到指責(zé)。”
Once it's in your boss's own best interest to stop scapegoating you, in other words, he probably will。
一旦停止拿你當(dāng)替罪羊成為對(duì)你上司最有好處的事情，他自然就會(huì)改變之前的做法。
