If you’ve seen the 1969 classic film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” you may recall the scene where one of the characters, Percy Garris, in a state of exasperation blurts out, “Morons! I’ve got morons on my team!”  

Does this scene remind you of any managers within your organization?  Do you have managers who are frustrated, fuming and fed up over the incompetence of their teams?  

If so, Elaine Varelas understands.

“It’s common for TV, movies and even Internet memes to depict the extremes of office life: lazy workers, maniacal managers and disenchanted employees,” says Varelas, managing partner at Keystone Partners, in Boston, Mass. “While seeing this onscreen can produce a chuckle, living it day-to-day can feel unbearable.”

But if managers are feeling this desperate about virtually every team member, the problem may actually lie with the manager, Varelas explains. For example, if a team is failing, it is often because there is something lacking at the top -- direction, communication or leadership.

“HR managers fielding calls from frustrated managers may want to be aware of common management pitfalls that can set managers and their employees up for failure,” she says. “If employees aren’t cutting it, it is often one of these manager-related reasons.”

Varelas outlines a few of those reasons as to why it happens, along with suggestions to help make it right:

• Inadequate training: If employees are continually making mistakes on a similar project, they may need more training in a certain software or system within the organization.  Until they’ve mastered Excel, they most likely won’t produce stellar spreadsheets.
• Unclear expectations: It’s important that managers make job responsibilities clear to all employees, not just assume they know what to do.  Managers need to be explicit not just about the tasks associated with the job, but timelines and nuances as well.  What needs to be produced by the end of the day? By the end of the week?  Is 100% accuracy expected the first time around or are multiple drafts acceptable? Not making these details clear can set employees up for failure. These expectation should also come directly from the manager or the employee might pick up the wrong messages from co-workers.
• Unreasonable expectations—Unclear direction can lead to frustration, but unreasonable expectations can lead to fast (aka shoddy) work.  People who are overwhelmed at work often rush and make mistakes.  Make sure managers have clear output guidelines. This is easier for manufacturing jobs (200 widgets per week), but less so for service positions.  When possible, managers should have qualitative data to guide employee productivity. 

“Managers need to distinguish the difference between a one-off event and a pattern,” she says, adding that every time there is an issue with an employee, the manager can ask, “What is missing here (training, expectations)?  What happened (one-time or pattern)?  And why (human error, working too fast)?”  A manager should look to find the teachable moment, as competent managers can use mistakes to educate employees as well as learn from their own communication mistakes.

Varelas emphasizes that managers need to be okay having these uncomfortable conversations with their teams. HR professionals can lend support if managers need an unbiased third party to look at a situation, or need ideas about how to approach employees. 

“HR professionals also may need to step in if a manager is unaware or unwilling to see his or her role in the team breakdown,” she says. For example, if a manager is exasperated with a whole team and everyone is struggling, it may be time to look at the manager—and time for HR to have that difficult conversation with said manager. 

Often, disconnects within a team are linked to poor communication. Others may be related to a manager’s temperament and how he or she handles stress. Look at the manager’s communication style, Varelas says.  How is information relayed to employees?  Is criticism instructive or inflammatory?  HR managers can also check with peers and colleagues to see if they, as outsiders, notice some room for improvement.  What do employees themselves have to say? 

Finally, if a team is failing, giving the manager more training and support can set the team up for success.

“Of course, most people want to succeed -- managers and employees alike,” Varelas says. “Providing a clear description of the work that’s required, laying out expectations and constantly communicating can help ensure your organization, or team, will never be ‘full of morons.’ ”