A common feature is to assume that, for example, team members are responsible.

However, it seems that this assumption becomes more and more of a challenge. And multiple factors play into this phenomenon. One of which may very well be the hope that life or work can become frictionless.

But this is regularly prevented by the initial avoidance of friction. Not all of which is on purpose. But much of it is perceived and left aside based on the person’s anxieties.

Someone anxious about his or her ability to comply with the leader’s expectations will rarely question what it is that is expected of him.

People who don’t like to be told how to do things will often prefer to figure out how to act on their own and avoid receiving help from others or verifying with others how things are done in their team.

And those who are worried about their ability to achieve goals may often leave aside all the consequences their actions have to be able to move forward.

By avoiding gaining clarity on these subjects people avoid friction in the short term. However, responsibility is enabled by gaining an understanding of what the expectations are, how tasks should be executed, and what the consequences of errors as well as of achieving goals.

But it is a reciprocal process. And one that fails any time an assumption wins over a question.