That tendency is built in to a system where individuals are also responsible for reporting on their own performance. Poor performing managers will of course fin

That tendency is built in to a system where individuals are also responsible for reporting on their own performance. Poor performing managers will of course find an explanation where someone else is to blame - it's a self-service bias that everyone has, managers are no exception. Managers have firing power and they are also accountable for project success, so it's best for them to throw a senior guy under the bus, since it's their best chance for a do-over on a failed project. If the bad manager can keep doing this long enough, eventually they get the job done. I think I found myself in this dynamic a couple of times. Though I should point out that senior engineers have the same self-service bias of course, so you can't just take their word for it that a bad manager is to blame. I don't think it really helps to get consensus from the team either. Since once the manager has targeted a scapegoat, everyone knows it's risky for them to criticize their manager, and also one less senior guy on the team is good for their chances of promotion.