How to Fail Intelligently
How to Fail Intelligently
Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson argues that "intelligent failure" can be a productive learning experience that fosters greater success, and in this video lesson, she explores failure archetypes and the importance of assessing risks effectively.
Reframe Your Approach to Failure
In her video lesson, Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson discusses the various archetypes of failure—intelligent, basic, and complex—highlighting how embracing and learning from mistakes can lead to innovation and improvement.
Pursue Intelligent Failures
In her video lesson, Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson explains "intelligent failure" as a strategic approach to failure that fosters learning and discovery, emphasizing the importance of assessing risks and experimenting thoughtfully to minimize potential consequences.
Minimize Basic Failures
Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson discusses the impact of simple human errors, like misnaming clients or accidental email replies, highlighting their potential consequences and offering strategies for individuals and organizations to reduce such basic failures.
Interrupt Complex Failures
Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson emphasizes the importance of addressing subtle signals of potential problems early, advocating for vigilance and open communication to prevent complex failures that arise from ambiguous threats.
Apply Systems Thinking
Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson emphasizes that while quick decisions during disruptions may seem necessary, adopting a systems thinking approach can transform these challenges into valuable learning opportunities, fostering synergy and proactive experimentation within organizations.
Lead a Healthy Failure Culture
Brené Brown and Amy Edmondson emphasize that embracing failure fosters innovation and creativity, advocating for a culture of shared awareness and psychological safety where failures are normalized, celebrated, and approached with empathy and humility.
We tend to think of failure as a bad thing in general, but Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson argues not all mistakes are the same — and some can even be beneficial. Furthermore, she says we often have the power to avoid or mitigate many of the less favorable errors we might encounter. It all starts with learning how to fail smarter.
Learning Objectives
- Frame failure as a learning opportunity.
- Embrace intelligent failures and decrease basic failures.
- Prevent complex failures from spiraling out of control.
- Embrace disruption and create synergy.
- Foster psychological safety to ease the sting of failure.