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There is a big difference between genuinely lacking a skill or knowledge and acting like you do not have it to get out of doing work. The latter, once called “strategic incompetence,” is currently referred to as “weaponized incompetence.”

If that term sounds like it is describing a harmful behavior…well, the name is fitting.

  • 70% of respondents to a recent survey said they have been negatively affected by workplace toxicity, and that weaponized incompetence plays a significant role. (1)
  • Victims of weaponized incompetence can feel taken advantage of, disrespected, stressed out and exhausted. (2)
  • Weaponized incompetence disrupts workplace dynamics, creates an undue burden on colleagues, and contributes to a toxic work culture that negatively impacts mental health. (1)

Strategic incompetence is tricky, because the behaviors that define it are not always obvious. How can you tell if someone truly cannot perform a task or if they are merely faking ignorance or incapability to avoid certain tasks that are part of their job duties? Below are tips on how to identify workplace incompetence and strategies leadership can use to combat it.

HOW TO SPOT WORKPLACE INCOMPETENCE

Figuring out the difference between an employee who is struggling with a task and one who is trying to get out of it using weaponized incompetence becomes easier when you know the signs of the latter. The best way to illustrate these signs is through the following examples.

Using Technology as an Excuse

Some people find learning new technology challenging. This is understandable. However, if a worker is consistently resistant to learning how to use technology, they might be using it to get out of projects. They hope that by claiming they lack the capability and cannot master the technology required to do some of their work, their responsibilities might get assigned to coworkers who have demonstrated aptitude in those systems.

Repeatedly Making Mistakes

While everyone makes mistakes from time to time, repeatedly making them might be an indication that the person is trying to wiggle their way out of certain projects or tasks. When a worker’s frequent mistakes are consistently attributed to something or someone else, but the problem persists despite intervention this presents a problem. Errors can be costly and time-consuming, which seemingly makes it easier and safer to assign work to employees who make few of them.

Being Co-Dependent on Teammates

Working as a team is important. That said, employees who constantly lean on teammates to help them get work done might be taking advantage of their coworkers. The more work they can get their teammates to do, the less work they must do themselves. This can present itself in a few ways.  For example:

  • A worker who is much slower, but not more effective or efficient, than others.
  • A worker who is reluctant to take on new responsibilities, challenges or learn new skills.
  • A worker who is always too busy to take on more projects.
  • A worker who is so prickly that assistance or new assignments are rarely requested of them.
  • A worker who starts a project, but always needs help completing it.

Dodging Responsibilities by Feigning Ineptitude

It might sound flattering for a colleague to tell you that since you are better at a task than they are, they would like you to finish it. In reality, this is a classic tactic in the strategic incompetence toolbox. They might be complimenting you, but your co-worker is also placing the onus of the project squarely on you. This might sound something like:

  • “Keith, you’re so fantastic with organization. I always know that when I need help with my Excel projects you can help make sense of the little details.”  (Meanwhile, Mary doesn’t want to take the time to do the data entry work required of the project.)
  • “Ericka, the presentation you gave last week was fantastic. Can I get you to review mine to see what I might be missing?”  (Joe, who has barely started his presentation, is looking for Ericka to do a lot of the work in putting it together.)

Claiming to be Too Slow to Meet Deadlines

People work at different paces; some inevitably get their work done faster than others. Employees who leverage weaponized incompetence capitalize on this fact by claiming they move too slow to meet assigned deadlines. They use this excuse to dump their work on their teammates. This can happen through:

  • Needing frequent help on specific tasks despite intervention
  • Requesting milestone or deadline extensions
  • Missing deadlines and/or impacting the work of team members
  • Waiting until the eleventh hour to request help
  • Requiring part or the whole team to drop what they are doing

Showing No Indication of Making Progress

It is perfectly understandable, and even expected, for people to fail in certain ways when they are learning something new or doing a challenging task. However, if an employee never makes progress on their skill set or work, this can be a sign they are faking incompetence. As long as management has provided the resources and support they need, the worker should make at least a little progress with skills.

HOW TO COMBAT STRATEGIC INCOMPETENCE

While the people who demonstrate weaponized incompetence can be sneaky about it, there are effective ways to combat their behavior. It is critical to establish firm boundaries regarding strategic incompetence from the top – meaning it starts at the C-suite level. And once these standards are set, leadership and management must not hesitate to enforce them consistently.

Hold Employees Accountable

It is much harder to get away with feigning ineptitude if workers are held accountable for doing so. There are several ways to hold employees accountable for doing their own work, including:

  • Make sure the responsibilities and expectations for each role are clearly defined in writing.
  • Conduct performance evaluations on a regular basis – not just once or twice per year.
  • Consistently respond to strategic incompetence with real consequences.
  • Encourage teams to hold each other and individual members accountable.

Make Resources and Training Readily Available

It is much more difficult for someone to claim they cannot complete a task if they have easy access to all the necessary resources and knowledge. Create a digital space that houses every single resource and form of training in a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate format. In addition, management should make it clear to their reports that they are always happy to answer questions the latter may have.

These two techniques leave no room for workers to claim they do not have the information they need to perform well.

Take a Direct Approach to Address Incidents

Employees who engage in strategic incompetence bank on the assumption that people will not be able to figure out what they are doing. This is the reason why addressing this behavior directly with competence disruptors is essential. If management uses vague generalities, the worker might assume they have gotten away with it.

Instead, tell the employee that you know what is going on and that the specific incompetence behavior will not be tolerated. Follow up this statement with consequences that will hold them accountable and discourage the behavior from continuing.

DISARM CULPRITS AND REMOVE THE HARMFUL IMPACT

Much like weapons used in battle, weaponized incompetence cannot do harm if it is rendered powerless. By disarming the culprits of strategic incompetence, you will create a healthier company culture for your entire workforce – and give competence disruptors another chance to excel in their role. You might even find that, without their toolbox of excuses, these employees improve to rank among your best.

 

If you want to effectively address weaponized incompetence and develop strategies to combat it at your next corporate meeting, contact Gavel International! We have years of experience organizing group meetings and can help your company achieve these objectives.

 

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SOURCE(S):

1 https://giveanhour.org/the-hidden-culprit-of-toxic-work-culture-weaponized-incompetence/

2 https://www.worklife.news/culture/wtf-is-weaponized-incompetence-in-the-workplace/

Eloisa Mendez
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