Responsibility laundering

Another great term I hadn’t heard of before, via the always interesting FLUX Review, Ep. 101:

What can organizations do in the face of challenging decisions, especially when the result may be unpleasant or unpopular? One popular approach is to insert a mechanism that makes the decision for them. This responsibility laundering is an abstraction layer that shifts the perceived responsibility for the decision from a person to a process.

Responsibility laundering is not always a bad thing: it can reduce some kinds of biases. Without it, decisions are likely to devolve into mere patronage.

Some examples of responsibility laundering include:

• Data-driven decision making.
• Committee-driven promotion and hiring decisions.
• Formula-driven compensation.
• Feedback surveys.
• Goal setting processes such as OKRs.

[…]

One telltale sign [we’re not using it properly] is when responsibility laundering is used to wash our hands of the consequences: “I regret this outcome, but we followed the process…”

Look out for bias hidden within the process. If we are not examining the process critically, we might not notice when things are just a bit off.

[…]

• Ask when responsibility laundering is the right choice.
• Monitor the outcomes for signs of bias.
• Make it possible (and preferably easy) to switch or remove these processes.
• Take responsibility for the decisions that ultimately get made.