One of the more common and vexing problems of human behavior is that we tend to point the finger of blame toward an individual person or group when something goes wrong, an outcome isn’t achieved, or behavior isn’t exactly what we’d like it to be.
It’s their “fault,” or “someone didn’t do their job,” or “someone has to be held accountable.” More often than not, the issue isn’t with an individual person or group of people. More frequently, the real issue is with the systems or conditions in which people are working or living.
Social psychologists call this effect “fundamental attribution error,” or more simply the tendency we have to blame people for systems issues.
Teachers get this all the time, and both the “blame teachers” movement and the counter-reaction against it are real life examples of fundamental attribution error gone off the deep end. Sure, there are ineffective educators – everyone knows this and probably has even had a few. But more often than not, it’s not the teacher that is failing, it’s the system the teacher is in.
We do the same thing with administrators. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve heard “if principals would just do their jobs.” This comes up a lot in matters related to evaluation. The logic is that if principals would just do their jobs related to evaluation, we wouldn’t have an ineffective educator problem and would be able to remove those that aren’t effective.
But the principals, more often than not, don’t do their jobs when it comes to evaluation. Frequently when they do, it’s a drive-by assessment with little meaningful feedback or improvement. But is it really the principal, or is it the system we’ve put this person in?
And we do have ineffective educators – many of whom have the potential to get better and maybe even become great teachers. But they work in substandard conditions and have no real support systems about what “better” even looks like or how they might get there.
Our answer lies less in individual accountability, though that is important, and more in better systems.
The next time you hear someone make the fundamental attribution error, call it out. Our thinking has to change.
Jason Glass
Des Moines, IA
Jason Glass
5 comments
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October 31, 2011 at 6:58 am
David VanHorn
Thank you for reminding us all of the need to consider the system, and not just the parts (people) of the system, when considering why things are as they are. If we want individuals to become great, then we need to create the type of system that will provide the conditions necessary for greatness to occur. In effect, we would have a great system.
Unfortunately, under the current system it often takes an act of great courage and herculean strength to do those things we believe need to be done. Whether your use the lens of system justification theory or status quo bias, there are collective forces at work that maintain the system in its current state. I agree, changing our thinking is a necessary step in creating the system our educators and students deserve.
October 31, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Teresa Bellinghausen
So true. It seems much less daunting to “fix” individuals rather than systems. However, changing thinking must begin at the individual level. Thanks for pointing out what should be so obvious and reasonable, yet is often overlooked in the rush to place blame.
November 1, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Gary Nesteby
Jason, I am encouraged that this type of conversation can go on. However, I question that we can change our way of thinking without seeing evidence of a better system based on “A significant change in education.”
Deming and Shewhart’ s PDCA/PDSA cycle of improvement addresses the need for continual focus on the system. It seems that we spend our time in the planning and studying phase but lack the “risk taking” to try out the theory.
Dr Deming’s Theory of Profound Knowledge links four key principles: Systems, Variation, Knowledge and People. The reason for this theory is based on the fact that the “customer” has needs that are dynamic rather than static. Taking into consideration the constantly changing needs of the students we cannot design and maintain a static system of education. It must constantly evolve to meet the fast paced change. We cannot do that without measures that allow us to interpret the system performance.
Blame is part of every organizational culture and every system. Until we measure the processes and identify the root causes to system instability we will continue to assume that the individual is the cause and blame is the way we educate everyone in what not to do. The collective culture then becomes one of politics rather than one that is customer centric to the student’s needs.
When everyone designing the system asks the question “How does this impact the learning of the student?” we will begin to find different answers than “What can we inflict on education this time.”
Blame is an individual trait that we use to get ourselves out of being responsible. As adults we teach and role model to or children how to blame. Let’s teach responsibility and accountability. Better yet lets learn more about our customers and their needs.
November 1, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Andrea Cole
It is discouraging to see this type of finger pointing, blaming and fundamental attribution error showing up in Iowa’s Unshakable Vision for education. Underlying much of the plan is the assumption that many of Iowa’s teachers are ineffective in the classroom and if we could just get better teachers, our test scores would rise. The finger of blame is pointed directly at teachers.
Likewise, the Unshakable Vision points another finger at school principals. If only we had better school administrators; if only our principals were better trained; if only they had time to get out of the office, our test scores would rise.
The Unshakable Vision goes on the point yet another finger at parents. If only we had more involved parents in our schools; if only parents cared more, were more engaged, and even read more to their children, then we’d have higher test scores.
Lastly, the Unshakable Vision points plenty of fingers at the children. If only our students were more engaged in the classroom; if only they “took more responsibility for their own learning” and if only they spent more time in school, then surely our test scores would rise.
It’s ironic that our State and National Departments of Education, and their flawed laws and programs, escape much of the finger pointing in Iowa’s Unshakable Vision when these regulations and entities are the driving forces behind many of our school problems today.
The entire public education system is broken; driven into the ground by politicians who can’t tell the difference between true student achievement and learning and a score on a standardized test. Even our local education officials continue to insist and build goals into Iowa’s Unshakable vision based entirely upon how high children can score on a test.
Until this obsession with standardized test scores ends and we stop evaluating and judging students, teachers and school system with tests that measure everything but learning, we will continue to point fingers of blame at everyone involved in education.
November 2, 2011 at 1:25 am
Jason Glass
Thanks everyone for your thoughtful and considered comments. I will try and write more often and appreciate the interaction.