Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well
by Amy Edmondson
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The Net-Net
In Right Kind of Wrong, Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson presents a valuable framework for understanding failure, teaching us how to benefit from “good” failures while avoiding more detrimental ones. Drawing on her own research and stories from corporate managers, lab scientists, and other professionals, Edmondson categorizes failures into three types: basic (simple, preventable mistakes in familiar situations), complex (errors with multiple causes occurring in well-known settings), and intelligent (the “good failures” crucial for achieving our goals). Instead of avoiding failure at all costs, Edmondson argues we should embrace this last type of failure in our careers and personal lives. To this end, Right Kind of Wrong helpfully defines what constitutes an “intelligent failure” and provides practical advice on its implementation, based on Edmondson’s years of studying and profiling numerous “elite failure practitioners.”
Top 3 Insights
- Not all failures are created equal. Based on the book’s focus on failure, you’d be forgiven for assuming Edmondson is a fan of the Silicon Valley mantra to “fail fast and fail often.” But Right Kind of Wrong‘s mission is to instead offer a more nuanced perspective on failure, differentiating between preventable mistakes and the more exploratory failures essential for innovation. In a career context, this insight should lead us to consider when errors or misjudgements are unacceptable — e.g., managing quarterly financial data — and when they can actually bring us closer to success, such as when developing a new product. For high achievers, adapting to this mindset can be challenging, requiring a shift from a deep-seated aversion to failing whatsoever. But understanding and implementing “intelligent failures” can be a critical element in driving career growth and success.
- Intelligent failures require thoughtful preparation. According to Edmondson, intelligent failures have four key attributes: 1) they take place in new territories, 2) they’re directed toward meaningful opportunities, 3) they’re informed by available knowledge and research, and 4) they’re “as small as possible,” in order to mitigate risk. It’s this third attribute, which Edmondson calls “doing your homework,” that stands out as the most actionable step in practicing intelligent failure. In other words, implementing intelligent failure never means going in blind or throwing ideas at the wall. In the example of developing a new product, this could mean thoroughly researching market trends, consumer needs, and potential challenges to first form a well-reasoned hypothesis before later building a prototype.
- Use “systems thinking” to make important decisions. One of Right Kind of Wrong‘s later chapters, “Appreciating Systems,” goes beyond the book’s focus on failure to provide helpful insights on decision-making through the concept of “systems thinking.” As Edmondson writes, “practicing systems thinking starts with consciously expanding your lens from its natural preference for here and now to include elsewhere and later.” For instance, in a workplace scenario where you’re invited by another team to collaborate on a new project, embracing “systems thinking” would involve evaluating more than just your immediate bandwidth. Saying yes could mean reduced one-on-one time with your direct reports or, conversely, providing them with opportunities to develop new skills. Thinking about these impacts ensures that your decisions are informed by a wider perspective, taking into account not only your immediate responsibilities but also your broader work environment.
Actionability
Right Kind of Wrong stands out for its actionable approach to understanding and harnessing failure, deftly moving beyond theory to offer concrete strategies for identifying and cultivating “intelligent failures.” Edmondson’s framework, which categorizes failures into basic, complex, and intelligent, provides a clear roadmap for discerning between harmful mistakes and those that are instrumental for growth.
- Create checklists for routine processes. In addition to helping to avoid simple mistakes, this will make it easier to teach others such processes later on.
- Embrace playful experimentation in the right context. In situations where recovering from “failure” is easy, like during the early stages of a short story or a presentation, the freedom to explore without fear can lead to creative breakthroughs.
- Avoid the reflex to blame single individuals. While accountability is important, many failures are multi-causal, and more importantly such blame “can reduce the psychological safety needed to practice the science of failing well.”
Good Stories
Right Kind of Wrong is packed with captivating stories from Edmondson’s life and research, as well as from the world of business and recent current events. Every point in the book is animated by an engaging story. Also noteworthy is Edmondson’s skillful structuring of these narratives, leaving readers with open loops that compel them to complete chapters.
- Edmondson’s experience as a new PhD candidate studying hospital medication errors, where she first learned to view failure as a natural part of exploring new territory.
- The 1967 Torrey Canyon oil spill tragedy, caused by a collection of small, preventable failures that were overlooked
- The initial HealthCare.gov failure and how a “psychologically safe, no-blame culture” contributed to its successful overhaul.
Key Quotes
- “One of the most important strategies for avoiding complex failures is emphasizing a preference for speaking up openly and quickly in your family, team, or organization. In other words, make it psychologically safe to be honest about a small thing before it becomes a larger thing.” (29)
- “Elite failure practitioners seem to be driven by a desire to understand the world around them — not through philosophic contemplation, but by interaction. Testing things out. Experimenting. They’re willing to act.” (70)
- “Fallibility is a part of who we are. Self-acceptance can be seen as brave. It takes courage to be honest with oneself, and it’s a first step in being honest with others. Because failure is a fact of life, failing is not a matter of if but when and how.” (264)
If This Were an MBA Class, it Would Be Called:
Failing to Succeed: Why True Innovation Requires Making Mistakes
Best For:
- Managers who need innovation from their teams
- Aspiring entrepreneurs who take “fail fast, fail often” a little too literally
- Straight-A students who need to learn to live a little
Can’t get enough? Consider:
- Amy Edmondson’s recent interview with the Financial Times, which named Right Kind of Wrong its 2023 Business Book of the Year
- Malcolm Gladwell’s 2010 New Yorker essay, “The Sure Thing,” about how many successful entrepreneurs, contrary to popular conception, are “highly risk-averse”
- Amy Edmondson’s TED Talk on “Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace”
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