![[Review] Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (Amy C. Edmondson) Summarized](https://episodes.castos.com/660078c6833215-59505987/images/2332553/c1a-085k3-ww7xg8r0fx57-jfgjfg.jpg)
Show Notes
Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (Amy C. Edmondson)
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982195061?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Right-Kind-of-Wrong%3A-The-Science-of-Failing-Well-Amy-C-Edmondson.html
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Right+Kind+of+Wrong+The+Science+of+Failing+Well+Amy+C+Edmondson+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/1982195061/
#failingwell #psychologicalsafety #intelligentfailure #organizationallearning #leadership #experimentation #teamculture #innovation #RightKindofWrong
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Separating blameworthy mistakes from intelligent failures, A central contribution of the book is a clear distinction among types of failure, replacing the vague idea that failure is either good or bad. Edmondson emphasizes that failure varies by context and intent. Some failures are preventable, such as errors caused by inattention, lack of training, or poor adherence to known procedures. These call for better systems, clearer standards, and skill building, not celebration. Other failures occur in complex environments where cause and effect are hard to predict, such as cross functional work, fast changing markets, or large scale operations. Here, the goal is to detect and correct quickly, strengthening coordination and feedback loops. Most importantly, the book highlights intelligent failures, those that happen when people pursue thoughtful experiments in new territory. These failures are valuable because they produce insight that could not be gained otherwise. The book offers readers a way to talk about failure with precision, which reduces defensiveness and improves problem solving. By labeling the failure type, teams can choose an appropriate response, from prevention and process improvement to experimentation and learning. This framing helps leaders discourage recklessness while protecting the curiosity and initiative needed for innovation.
Secondly, Why psychological safety enables learning and performance, Edmondson connects failing well to psychological safety, the shared belief that it is safe to speak up with questions, concerns, and ideas. When psychological safety is low, people hide mistakes, delay bad news, and avoid asking for help. That silence increases risk and reduces learning, especially in complex work where no single person has the full picture. The book explains that psychological safety is not about lowering standards or being nice. It is about creating conditions where candor is possible and where problems surface early enough to fix. Leaders shape this climate through everyday signals: how they respond to bad news, whether they invite dissent, and whether they treat questions as weakness or as professionalism. Edmondson encourages practices such as framing work as learning, acknowledging uncertainty, and explicitly valuing contributions from all roles. Teams can reinforce safety by normalizing debriefs, discussing near misses, and separating the person from the problem. The payoff is practical: better information flow, faster correction, and stronger collaboration. In environments where experimentation is required, psychological safety also protects intelligent risk taking, allowing people to test ideas, share results, and iterate without fear of humiliation or punishment for good faith efforts.
Thirdly, Experimentation as a disciplined approach to progress, Failing well requires more than optimism about setbacks. Edmondson argues for a disciplined approach to experimentation that produces reliable learning. Instead of random trial and error, intelligent failures come from well designed tests with clear hypotheses, boundaries, and metrics. The book emphasizes starting small, choosing experiments that are ethical and reversible when possible, and building in rapid feedback. This approach reduces the cost of failure while increasing the value of the information gained. Readers are encouraged to define what success would look like, what signals might indicate trouble, and what they will do with the results. The goal is to convert uncertainty into knowledge through cycles of planning, testing, observing, and adapting. Edmondson also highlights the social dimension of experimentation: people must share what they tried and what happened so the organization benefits rather than repeating the same mistake in isolation. Leaders can support this by allocating time for reflection and by rewarding learning behaviors, not just outcomes. Over time, disciplined experimentation creates a portfolio of insights that can guide strategy, improve products, and strengthen processes. It also trains teams to be comfortable working at the edge of what they know while staying responsible and rigorous.
Fourthly, Building systems that surface problems early, Even in organizations that value learning, failures can become costly when they are discovered too late. Edmondson focuses on the importance of systems that make issues visible quickly and make it easy to act on them. This includes designing workflows that reduce ambiguity, creating channels for raising concerns, and treating near misses as important data. The book highlights how small signals are often ignored because people fear repercussions, assume someone else will act, or believe the problem is not worth mentioning. A fail well culture counters that tendency by encouraging early reporting and by responding constructively. Edmondson points readers toward mechanisms such as regular after action reviews, blameless incident analysis, and structured handoffs in complex work. She also emphasizes the role of measurement and transparency, using indicators that reveal variation and drift before they become crises. Importantly, these systems must be matched with human behavior. If leaders punish messengers or react emotionally, people will stop speaking up regardless of the formal process. When leaders instead show curiosity, ask what happened and what can be improved, and follow through with changes, reporting becomes normal. The organization then gains resilience, preventing many failures and limiting the damage of those that occur.
Lastly, Leadership habits that turn setbacks into learning, The book argues that failing well is a leadership practice, not a slogan. Leaders set the tone for how failure is interpreted and what happens next. Edmondson encourages leaders to replace judgment with inquiry, especially when outcomes are disappointing. Asking what assumptions were made, what constraints existed, and what information was available helps teams learn without defaulting to blame. Another key habit is framing, explaining upfront that challenging work includes uncertainty and that learning is part of the job. This reduces the shock and shame that can accompany setbacks. Leaders also need to model fallibility, acknowledging their own limits and mistakes, which invites others to be honest. At the same time, the book stresses that accountability still matters. Preventable failures should lead to process fixes and skill development, and repeated negligence should be addressed directly. The difference is that accountability targets behaviors and systems rather than personal worth. Edmondson also emphasizes closing the loop, ensuring that insights from failures are translated into concrete changes and shared widely. Without this step, organizations collect stories but do not improve. By combining high standards with an open learning mindset, leaders create environments where people take smart risks, surface problems, and continuously adapt.
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982195061?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Right-Kind-of-Wrong%3A-The-Science-of-Failing-Well-Amy-C-Edmondson.html
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Right+Kind+of+Wrong+The+Science+of+Failing+Well+Amy+C+Edmondson+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/1982195061/
#failingwell #psychologicalsafety #intelligentfailure #organizationallearning #leadership #experimentation #teamculture #innovation #RightKindofWrong
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Separating blameworthy mistakes from intelligent failures, A central contribution of the book is a clear distinction among types of failure, replacing the vague idea that failure is either good or bad. Edmondson emphasizes that failure varies by context and intent. Some failures are preventable, such as errors caused by inattention, lack of training, or poor adherence to known procedures. These call for better systems, clearer standards, and skill building, not celebration. Other failures occur in complex environments where cause and effect are hard to predict, such as cross functional work, fast changing markets, or large scale operations. Here, the goal is to detect and correct quickly, strengthening coordination and feedback loops. Most importantly, the book highlights intelligent failures, those that happen when people pursue thoughtful experiments in new territory. These failures are valuable because they produce insight that could not be gained otherwise. The book offers readers a way to talk about failure with precision, which reduces defensiveness and improves problem solving. By labeling the failure type, teams can choose an appropriate response, from prevention and process improvement to experimentation and learning. This framing helps leaders discourage recklessness while protecting the curiosity and initiative needed for innovation.
Secondly, Why psychological safety enables learning and performance, Edmondson connects failing well to psychological safety, the shared belief that it is safe to speak up with questions, concerns, and ideas. When psychological safety is low, people hide mistakes, delay bad news, and avoid asking for help. That silence increases risk and reduces learning, especially in complex work where no single person has the full picture. The book explains that psychological safety is not about lowering standards or being nice. It is about creating conditions where candor is possible and where problems surface early enough to fix. Leaders shape this climate through everyday signals: how they respond to bad news, whether they invite dissent, and whether they treat questions as weakness or as professionalism. Edmondson encourages practices such as framing work as learning, acknowledging uncertainty, and explicitly valuing contributions from all roles. Teams can reinforce safety by normalizing debriefs, discussing near misses, and separating the person from the problem. The payoff is practical: better information flow, faster correction, and stronger collaboration. In environments where experimentation is required, psychological safety also protects intelligent risk taking, allowing people to test ideas, share results, and iterate without fear of humiliation or punishment for good faith efforts.
Thirdly, Experimentation as a disciplined approach to progress, Failing well requires more than optimism about setbacks. Edmondson argues for a disciplined approach to experimentation that produces reliable learning. Instead of random trial and error, intelligent failures come from well designed tests with clear hypotheses, boundaries, and metrics. The book emphasizes starting small, choosing experiments that are ethical and reversible when possible, and building in rapid feedback. This approach reduces the cost of failure while increasing the value of the information gained. Readers are encouraged to define what success would look like, what signals might indicate trouble, and what they will do with the results. The goal is to convert uncertainty into knowledge through cycles of planning, testing, observing, and adapting. Edmondson also highlights the social dimension of experimentation: people must share what they tried and what happened so the organization benefits rather than repeating the same mistake in isolation. Leaders can support this by allocating time for reflection and by rewarding learning behaviors, not just outcomes. Over time, disciplined experimentation creates a portfolio of insights that can guide strategy, improve products, and strengthen processes. It also trains teams to be comfortable working at the edge of what they know while staying responsible and rigorous.
Fourthly, Building systems that surface problems early, Even in organizations that value learning, failures can become costly when they are discovered too late. Edmondson focuses on the importance of systems that make issues visible quickly and make it easy to act on them. This includes designing workflows that reduce ambiguity, creating channels for raising concerns, and treating near misses as important data. The book highlights how small signals are often ignored because people fear repercussions, assume someone else will act, or believe the problem is not worth mentioning. A fail well culture counters that tendency by encouraging early reporting and by responding constructively. Edmondson points readers toward mechanisms such as regular after action reviews, blameless incident analysis, and structured handoffs in complex work. She also emphasizes the role of measurement and transparency, using indicators that reveal variation and drift before they become crises. Importantly, these systems must be matched with human behavior. If leaders punish messengers or react emotionally, people will stop speaking up regardless of the formal process. When leaders instead show curiosity, ask what happened and what can be improved, and follow through with changes, reporting becomes normal. The organization then gains resilience, preventing many failures and limiting the damage of those that occur.
Lastly, Leadership habits that turn setbacks into learning, The book argues that failing well is a leadership practice, not a slogan. Leaders set the tone for how failure is interpreted and what happens next. Edmondson encourages leaders to replace judgment with inquiry, especially when outcomes are disappointing. Asking what assumptions were made, what constraints existed, and what information was available helps teams learn without defaulting to blame. Another key habit is framing, explaining upfront that challenging work includes uncertainty and that learning is part of the job. This reduces the shock and shame that can accompany setbacks. Leaders also need to model fallibility, acknowledging their own limits and mistakes, which invites others to be honest. At the same time, the book stresses that accountability still matters. Preventable failures should lead to process fixes and skill development, and repeated negligence should be addressed directly. The difference is that accountability targets behaviors and systems rather than personal worth. Edmondson also emphasizes closing the loop, ensuring that insights from failures are translated into concrete changes and shared widely. Without this step, organizations collect stories but do not improve. By combining high standards with an open learning mindset, leaders create environments where people take smart risks, surface problems, and continuously adapt.
