Weaponized incompetence: Spotting & stopping it

The art of dodging work: Understanding weaponized incompetence

Does your workplace contain anyone guilty of weaponized incompetence – pretending to be bad at a task to avoid doing it?

This manipulative behavior takes place quite often. Consider this common scenario:

John and Kathy are working together on a social media campaign for their company. Their newest post is scheduled to go up tomorrow.

When they pull up the post to give it a final once-over, Kathy remarks that the picture John selected doesn’t match the text. Furthermore, he cropped it poorly.

Noticing the funny look on her face, John says sheepishly, “I’m not good at finding and posting pictures. Guess I’m just too old.”

She offers to provide a quick refresher. He nicely declines and says, “I know you enjoy picking the perfect image and are so good at it, so why don’t we let you be in charge of that from now on.”

Given the deadline, Kathy scrambles to replace the photo herself. Later, though, she starts feeling annoyed. Finding and inserting a new picture is simple, but it took away from her other work.

She’s also seen John’s LinkedIn page. The pictures always look fine, and it’s funny; he’s not “too old” there.

Kathy mentioned the situation to her colleague Barbara at lunch the next day. Barbara replies, “You know, I’ve had similar problems working with John. He seems to have a way of weaseling out of things he doesn’t want to do.”

Like John, many workers employ weaponized incompetence to shirk responsibilities. Let’s examine this behavior, its impact, and how those affected by it can address the problem.

What is weaponized incompetence?

Also called strategic incompetence or willful incompetence, weaponized incompetence occurs when individuals deliberately feign ineptness. By claiming a lack of ability or purposely doing a poor job, they hope someone else will take over the responsibility.

Guilty parties do not genuinely lack the skills or knowledge. This fact separates them from people who legitimately lack the required abilities. The intentional nature of weaponized incompetency distinguishes it from true helplessness.

Motives behind weaponized incompetence

Getting out of doing something tedious or difficult is a primary reason behind weaponized incompetence. However, other possibilities exist.

According to Psychology Today, “Weaponized incompetence may occur because the person wants to avoid responsibility, aspects of the work make them anxious or uncomfortable, or they disagree with how the work is being carried out.

“For some, childhood experiences and patterns play a role. For example, someone may have taken on most household responsibilities in childhood. At the same time, another may have been expected to only strive for academic and financial success, never thinking about the household. Examining these early roles and beliefs can help explain and overcome weaponized incompetence.”

Examples of weaponized incompetence

Indeed, many a duo has landed in couples therapy because of weaponized incompetence, especially regarding household tasks.

Perhaps a partner purposely loads the dishwasher incorrectly or “forgets” items when grocery shopping so that a spouse will take over those household chores. Maybe the manipulator aims to shirk childcare by telling the other, “You’re so much better at getting the baby to eat than I am.”

The same type of thing occurs in workplace settings. Recognize any of the following?

• The “clueless” team member who “can’t figure out” the new software, forcing others to do the tedious data entry.
  
  
• The “absent-minded” co-worker who “always forgets” to do his part of the project until the last minute, leading others to assume some of his tasks to make the deadline.
  
  
• The “helpless” manager who claims to “not be good with details” and delegates all administrative tasks downwards.
  
  
• The “flattering” colleague who encourages you to create the joint presentation because you are “so amazing at using PowerPoint.”
  
  
• The employee who “can’t handle pressure” and offloads demanding clients to teammates.
  
  
• The “unprepared” meeting participant does not bother coming in with ideas to share because she “knows creative teammates will offer much better ones.”

Signs of weaponized incompetence

As the examples demonstrate, offenders have different ways of getting their desired result. Without a central profile, how can you identify weaponized incompetence?

Key characteristics include:

• Consistent failure in specific, avoidable, or simple tasks – especially those outside the individual’s preferred duties.
  
  
• Demonstrating competence in other areas, highlighting the selective nature of the “incompetence.”
  
  
• Making excuses or blaming external factors for failures.
  
  
• Appearing helpless or overwhelmed to elicit sympathy and offers of assistance.
  
  
• Resisting training or improvement efforts.
  
  
• Creating extra work for others by failing to complete their assigned tasks.
  
  
• Playing the victim when confronted about their performance.

Distinguishing from genuine incompetence

Can’t tell if someone is manipulative or truly incapable?

Consider the specific task’s difficulty. Is it legitimately challenging or something the person should reasonably be able to do? The former may benefit from assistance; the latter raises a red flag about ulterior motives.

Assess the individual’s willingness to learn and improve. Is the person receptive to feedback and training, or does she seem to want to pass along the given responsibility?

Look at the context. Does the “incompetence” conveniently benefit the individual, such as excusing him from a tedious task or enabling him to leave on time while others finish?

The impact of weaponized incompetence

Because of its underhanded nature and unequal division of labor, weaponized incompetence can lead to various workplace problems.

For starters, the failure of a team member to pull his weight reduces overall productivity and efficiency. Companies hire employees to perform stated duties, not to spend time trying to get out of them.

Fellow employees often take on extra work to be nice to the “struggler” or to compensate for the person’s “ineptness.” This pulls time away from their responsibilities. The additional workload and corresponding stress can lead to burnout.

Over time, put-upon workers become frustrated and resentful as they realize the inequitable labor distribution. They may distrust their manipulative teammate and try to avoid the person, affecting team dynamics.

A toxic environment may result, with corresponding decreases in employee engagement and job satisfaction. Valuable talent may decide to pursue job opportunities elsewhere.

Addressing weaponized incompetence: Strategies for individuals

If you are a worker subject to the ploys of a colleague, take action. Doing someone else’s job takes away from time and energy to perform your own. Plus, the dynamic likely will strain your relationship – leading to conflict, avoidance, and hard feelings.

Document instances of incompetence. Keep records of specific incidents, dates, and the impact on your work.

Communicate your findings to the co-worker in question. Clearly express your concerns and the impact of their actions. Do not be surprised if the person denies any wrongdoing or tries to weasel out with compliments about you being so much better at specific tasks. Remain assertive.

After bringing the problem to light, avoid passive-aggressive behavior, hoping the person will “take the hint.” Instead, start setting boundaries.

Refuse to take on extra work consistently. Offer help once, such as writing down instructions or demonstrating an action. But do not complete the task for the person or otherwise serve as a crutch.

You might find staying firm difficult, especially if the requester is a “nice” person or seems appreciative. Identify your people-pleasing tendencies. Realize that an inability to say “no” affects your performance, physical and/or mental load, and stress level.

If the behavior continues, seek support. Talk to trusted colleagues to see if they experience the same thing. Discuss matters with your supervisor or a human resources representative. Bring along your documentation to demonstrate the situation’s seriousness and history.

Addressing weaponized incompetence: Strategies for managers

A leader who suspects a direct report of weaponized incompetence or hears complaints from team members must act. Failure to do so encourages the behavior to continue and threatens the staff’s well-being.

Call the suspected offender in for a private conversation. Address performance issues directly, including needing each person to pull their own weight. Provide constructive feedback. Set clear expectations about the person’s duties as per the job description.

Ensure the individual has the resources and skills needed to perform assigned responsibilities. Offer extra training opportunities. Gauge response. Unwillingness to take advantage of this help likely points to already knowing how to do the task but trying to avoid it.

Maintain detailed records of performance issues and attempts to address them. Keep copies of any documentation presented by others on the team.

If the behavior continues, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken per company guidelines.

Creating a culture of accountability

Of course, the best way to deal with weaponized incompetence in the workplace is to prevent it from happening.

Start by bringing the subject to light. Many people lack awareness of the fact that this type of manipulative behavior even has a name. Explain what weaponized incompetence looks like and its dangerous consequences.

Leaders can present this information in a staff meeting or a newsletter. Companies can also consider covering the topic in their official code of conduct policy. Such documentation clarifies that the organization finds this conduct unacceptable and instructs everyone on identifying and reporting problems.

Another thing leaders can do is provide employees with clear job descriptions. Such an outline acts as a mutual point of reference. Managers witnessing a direct report trying to get out of or pass along a duty can point back to what the person signed on for when accepting the position.

Be sure to train staff members appropriately for all tasks you expect them to do. This education squashes excuses for ineptitude.

Finally, prioritize teamwork and collaboration. Instill pride in each worker’s contribution to overall success. Praise people who commit to pulling their own weight.