blamestorming

Blamestorming is a term used to describe a meeting or session in which participants focus on identifying who is at fault for a failure rather than analyzing causes or planning corrective actions. The term is a portmanteau of blame and brainstorming and is often used pejoratively to describe dysfunctional post-mortems in business, software development, and other high-stakes teams.

Typical characteristics include venting, finger-pointing, scapegoating, and a rapid shift from root-cause analysis to assigning responsibility. Such sessions can produce short-term emotional relief for some participants but commonly erode psychological safety, reduce trust, and impede learning. They may reveal organizational or process gaps, but the emphasis on individuals obscures systemic issues and can discourage candid reporting in the future.

Best practices for effective incident review favor a blameless or learning-oriented approach. Techniques include time-boxed discussions, facilitation by a neutral moderator, focusing questions on processes and systems, and documenting action items aimed at improvement. Many organizations adopt blameless postmortems or after-action reviews to examine what happened and how to prevent recurrence without punishing individuals.

Usage notes: The term is sometimes used humorously or critically to describe meetings that drift into blame. In professional contexts, teams are encouraged to separate accountability from learning.