Two Work Cultures

There are two types of work cultures.

One is the culture of blame.  In this culture, the primary push is to avoid getting blamed for failure or not accomplishing goals.  The work environment is one where everyone is keenly aware of what their particular task is, when they did it, and precisely how long the next person in the chain has had it.  Meetings in this culture usually devolve into discussions of what has not been done, who has not done it, and how long it has remained undone. 

The other is culture of getting things done.  In this culture, the primary push is to solve problems.  Individuals within each function may have tasks that are contributing to the whole, and may even find themselves in the position of not having accomplished certain things - but on the whole there is not a sense of any one person being singled out.  Blame is not emphasized (although responsibility may be pointed out for significant outstanding tasks); instead, the point of the work is to move things to completion and conclusion.

One of these cultures emphasizes the end result.  The other culture emphasizes not getting blamed and accomplishing your own tasks, even if the end result is not achieved.

The overall effect?  The first culture creates an atmosphere of back watching and documentation, where people spend as much time covering themselves as they do doing the work.  The other culture creates an atmosphere where people are willing to admit mistakes more freely, work collaboratively, and ultimately succeed together.

Which culture would you want to work in?