HOW TO DETERMINE IF A REQUEST IS WEAPONISED INCOMPETENCE OR A GENUINE REQUEST FOR HELP USING KELLEY’S ATTRIBUTION THEORY
- Consistency – How often does the person ask you for help every time they have to do the task – If the person always asks you or other people for help whenever they have to do this task, then it is likely weaponized incompetence. However, if this is the first time the person asked for your help for this task but otherwise has been completing the task on their own, it is likely to be genuine request due to the prevailing situation maybe because of lack of time. ?A person’s previous comments regarding not liking or wanting to do particular kinds of tasks can also indicate their intent in asking you for help.
- Consensus – Whether other people behave in the same manner – Do other co-workers at the same level also ask you for help with the same type of tasks or is it only this person who approaches you for help. If other people at the same level are able to perform the same task effectively, then it’s likely that the person is trying to push off the work on to you intentionally or they need training depending on the answer to point 4.
- Distinctiveness – Does the person always ask for help in similar situations or is asking for help only in this particular instance – If the person asks for help for all similar tasks, then it’s likely that they are trying to get out of a certain kind of task they don’t like. However, if their request pertains to a very specific task and they are doing other similar tasks on their own, then it’s likely that the request is due to the situational circumstances, perhaps because they genuinely don’t know how to do it and want to learn.
- ?Whether the request is for you to do the task or to teach the other person how to do the task – Ask what help the other person wants from you. Whether they want you to teach them or give them tips on how to do the task so they can do the task correctly next time, it is a request for training. However, if the request is for you to just do their work without involving them because they are just so bad or slow at it, then it is likely weaponized incompetence depending on point 1 (consistency)
- Whether the person has made any effort in the past to learn the task – If the person has always avoided the task or spent very little time trying to learn the task all the while making statements about their inability to do the task, then it’s likely weaponized incompetence. Every task requires time and effort to learn. Even simple things like how to use a photocopy machine requires some effort. Sometimes, people are unwilling to put in the effort. They try for a minute and give up saying how they can’t understand it. We all probably have experienced that frustration at some point. But instead of learning, people who use weaponized incompetence believe that someone else should just do it for them.
- Whether the task they asked you to do is a part of their job description and your job description – Does the position that they hold require them to know how to do the task that they are seeking help with. If not, they may genuinely be looking for the expert person whose job it is to perform the particular task. However, if your job description also does not include performing this task, then the other person could still be trying to push the responsibility on you to get the task done from the relevant person. Weaponised incompetence can also be used to push on to the other person random tasks which fall within neither of your job descriptions such as getting a scan or ordering birthday cakes! Since these tasks take up time, some people try to get out of them using weaponized incompetence (“I always order the wrong cakes!” or “I’m so bad with any sort of tech”)
