Simon Element / Simon Acumen
Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well
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Winner of the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2023
A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2023
A revolutionary guide that will transform your relationship with failure, from the pioneering researcher of psychological safety and award-winning Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson.
We used to think of failure as the opposite of success. Now, we're often torn between two "failure cultures" one that says to avoid failure at all costs, the other that says fail fast, fail often. The trouble is that both approaches lack the crucial distinctions to help us separate good failure from bad. As a result, we miss the opportunity to fail well.
After decades of award-winning research, Amy Edmondson is here to upend our understanding of failure and make it work for us. In Right Kind of Wrong, Edmondson provides the framework to think, discuss, and practice failure wisely. Outlining the three archetypes of failure--basic, complex, and intelligent--Amy showcases how to minimize unproductive failure while maximizing what we gain from flubs of all stripes. She illustrates how we and our organizations can embrace our human fallibility, learn exactly when failure is our friend, and prevent most of it when it is not. This is the key to pursuing smart risks and preventing avoidable harm.
With vivid, real-life stories from business, pop culture, history, and more, Edmondson gives us specifically tailored practices, skills, and mindsets to help us replace shame and blame with curiosity, vulnerability, and personal growth. You'll never look at failure the same way again.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9781982195069
EAN:
9781982195069
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
368
Authors:
Amy C Edmondson
Publisher:
Simon Element / Simon Acumen
Published Date: 2023-05-09
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Right Kind of Wrong is a smart, insightful, and refreshing take on a subject most of us try to avoid—failure. Amy Edmondson brilliantly breaks down the misconceptions we hold about failing, offering a clear and empowering framework to distinguish between avoidable mistakes and growth-driven, intelligent failure. With compelling stories, practical tools, and decades of research, she helps us reframe failure as an essential part of progress, both personally and professionally. This book is a game-changer for anyone looking to lead with more confidence, take smarter risks, and cultivate a healthier, more productive relationship with mistakes. A must-read for leaders, innovators, and lifelong learners ready to fail better and grow stronger.
I thoroughly appreciate this book and the way Amy Edmondson breaks down the three types of failures, showing how we can leverage each to improve our leadership and professional skills. I’ve already incorporated the lessons from this book into my well-being presentations and will continue to draw on Dr. Edmondson’s scientific approach to analyzing failure to help foster a growth mindset in others.One of my favorite sections was her systematic literature review, where she connected her insights to the work of other psychologists. It felt like I was reading her most recent dissertation, and I mean that as a compliment — it was both rigorous and fascinating.Excellent work, Dr. Edmondson. I look forward to continuing to follow your research and learning from your future contributions. Thank you.
Such an amazing and insightful read. Well written and easy to implement and follow
A very useful core idea that could have been conveyed just as well or better in a long article. The stories are mostly good but almost entirely well known to the average reader and as such don’t add much context.
I love every part of this book. I especially liked Amy’s personal stories that she peppered in between the real-life case studies. Really helped me see and understand failure more clearly.
