I’m gonna go out in a limb here and say it’s common for any executive to pass the buck to any subordinate. It’s human nature to not want blame.
That’s not human nature, it’s a pathological, immature state of mind.
The word "pathological", presumably, means "deviating from the normal". The word "normal", in its turn, has two distinct meanings: one that is about what is desirable, the other is about what is common. On these grounds, and according to the second meaning of the word "normal", I would argue that fear is not pathological, nor is the desire to escape blame. It's quite normal. Whether some people can control this desire is the question.
So, exactly the state of mind that leads one to become a business executive than?
Human nature IS an immature state. It’s our uncivilized base instinct. So yes.