No-blame culture in SAP: Is it even possible in large organizations?

When the stakes are high, it’s not uncommon for fingers to start pointing – especially when things “go south”. And more often than not, it’s the IT teams that find themselves in the hot seat. The big question is: is there a better way?

Recently, we sat down with Paul Byrne, a seasoned SAP project manager with decades of experience under his belt. One of the things we discussed is the possibility of cultivating a no-blame culture within large organizations.

You can watch the full conversation with Paul Byrne here:

The Blame Game: Why IT Often Gets the Short End of the Stick

In many SAP projects, when things do not go as planned (for example the deadlines are missed), the immediate reaction is to look for someone to blame. Paul Byrne says that one of the contributing factors of it is allowing the most important programs to be “IT-led” instead of “business-led”

“What we shouldn’t do is let this be an IT-led program. If it doesn’t go well, let’s blame IT. It’s really easy to blame the “techie” boys and girls” – says Paul Byrne.

So this blame culture stems from a disconnect between business objectives and IT execution. When projects are siloed within IT without proper business engagement, misunderstandings and misalignments are bound to happen. And when they do, IT often becomes the scapegoat.

But why does this happen so frequently? It usually starts with lack of early engagement from the business and sometimes – unclear communication. Paul says:

“I’ve heard people talk about, “Oh, we’re going to implement, we’re going to do this or that” – and nobody around the table knew what they were talking about because this guy learned this new functionality from his functional consultants, and he just went with it. He was speaking a different language. Go and speak the language of the business. How does it affect me? How does it affect you? What’s the impact? What do I need to do to make that thing happen?”

Understanding the No-blame Culture

So, what exactly is a no-blame culture?

A no-blame culture encourages open communication and continuous learning. Instead of pointing fingers when something goes wrong, the focus is on understanding the root cause and collaboratively finding solutions. This culture fosters innovation, as team members aren’t afraid to take calculated risks or admit mistakes.

Michał Krawczyk of Int4 describes it in a simple way:

“We have the same goal that we need to achieve. It will be tough. But we will not kill each other during the process. It won’t be easy – but we want to do this, right?”

In a no-blame environment:

• Mistakes are Learning Opportunities: Errors are seen as a natural part of the learning process.

• Open Communication is Encouraged: Team members feel safe sharing concerns or admitting when they don’t know something.

• Collaboration Over Individualism: The team works together to solve problems, rather than isolating individuals.

Paul emphasizes it by saying “I’m not here to beat you up or roast you if you’ve done something wrong or are running behind. Tell somebody, communicate it to somebody – we will find someone to help you”.

The Challenges of Cultivating a No-blame Culture

Although it sounds reasonable to want to build that no-blame culture, implementing it is often easier said than done, especially in large organizations with established hierarchies and processes.

Because first of all – In big companies, employees may fear that admitting mistakes could harm their careers. Paul shares, “People usually don’t want to admit their failings…”. Another element of that is the fact that changing an entrenched culture requires significant effort – usually from leadership down to the individual contributors. And with multiple reporting lines, employees might receive conflicting priorities, making it difficult to foster a unified culture.

And although the no-blame approach is built on a foundation of trust and “allowing people to fail small” – it’s still important to build a sense of accountability at the same time, which can be challenging. 

Is a No-blame Culture Possible in Large SAP Projects?

The million-dollar question: Can large organizations implementing SAP truly adopt a no-blame culture?

According to Paul, it’s challenging – but definitely possible. And it all starts with the person who’s in charge of the project. Paul says “It’s all around the individual… I give the team the top cover. I take away the politics,”. So leadership plays a crucial role in setting the tone. By promoting transparency and encouraging open dialogue, leaders can create an environment where team members feel safe to share and innovate.

Creating a no-blame culture isn’t an overnight process. It requires commitment, patience, and continuous effort. But the benefits—improved innovation, better problem-solving, and a more engaged workforce—are well worth it.

As Paul wisely puts it, “Good things are not easy to do. But if a change is worth doing, that’s where you jump back and go – what’s the business case for this? Why are we doing this?”

By focusing on the “why” behind the project and working collaboratively, large organizations can not only implement SAP successfully but also cultivate a culture that propels them into the future.

Ready to Transform Your SAP Integration Testing?

Aside from culture, there’s one more thing that might be useful when it comes to reducing blame – spotless SAP testing. Because that’s an area that allows your organization to have full confidence in the system after changes.

And in the age of integration, one of the biggest challenges to achieve that is testing your SAP integration. So the capability to easily create thousands of test cases and execute them in a matter of minutes can be a difference between having or not having to manage the missed expectations of project sponsors. That’s why many Fortune 500 Companies use Int4 Suite:

If you want to learn more about this missing link of your SAP S/4HANA testing strategy, make sure to visit the Int4’s course called “Avoid SAP S/4HANA Project Delays with Third-Party System Service Virtualization” available here: