Speaking of Psychology
How to fail successfully, with Amy Edmondson, PhD, and Samuel West, PhD
Jan 17, 2024
Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, PhD, and organizational psychologist Samuel West, PhD, talk about commerce's biggest flops, the difference between failing and "failing well," and how to overcome the fear of failure. They discuss the Museum of Failure, the downfall of Kodak, the importance of psychological safety, and the nuanced understanding of success and failure.
51:34
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Quick takeaways
- There are three types of failure: basic, complex, and intelligent, which helps distinguish between failures that should be prevented and failures that should be celebrated and learned from.
- Psychological safety, where individuals feel comfortable taking interpersonal risks, is crucial for teams and organizations to learn and innovate effectively by encouraging behaviors such as offering dissenting opinions and conducting experiments.
Deep dives
Different types of failure
According to Dr. Amy Edmondson, there are three types of failure: basic, complex, and intelligent. Basic failures are single mistakes that could have been prevented. Complex failures are multi-causal and occur in familiar territory. Intelligent failures are thoughtful attempts in new territory that fail to achieve the desired results. The framework helps make distinctions between failures that should be prevented and failures that should be celebrated and learned from.
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