ABSTRACT
Innovation has become a buzzword for business, seen as an imperative to remain germane within an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous or VUCA world (Bennett and Lemoine, 2014). And yet, there is little discussion regarding the tolerance for failure required in order to pursue the experimental path towards novel solutions. By juxtaposing failure with trial & error, this research attempts to conceptualize failing as a desirable catalyst rather than an undesirable ending.
Success is often more likely to be broadcast, but failure plays a crucial role within transformation. Within a fail positive culture, unsuccessful outcomes are seen as an impetus for further experimentation. For the purposes of this research, failure is examined within organizational settings, and is very broadly defined as less than desired outcomes that are the result of error, and which warrant correction. Failure’s role within innovative practice is explored not merely as a stimulant for learning, but as a means to develop resilience. Inasmuch as the purpose of this study is to uncover how organizations can learn from their mistakes, outright business failure lies outside the scope of this research.
The following question guides my research:
How might organizations instill a knowledge culture that learns from failure?
Underlying this study, is an assumption that scale of an organization effects its ability to learn from it's mistakes. Initial primary research looks at how less experienced businesses are likely to make frequent mistakes, learn from their early failures. Based on interviews with several small business owners, the findings support the notion that small scale operations benefit from informal systems of communication where lessons from error are easily spread companywide. Shared knowledge on what has and has previously worked favorably and less so, builds a knowledge bank that fine tunes less successful attempts in order to improve subsequent outcomes. Several organizational learning experts interviewed suggest that trust and feedback are essential ingredients necessary within an organization to promote corporate learning.
Ultimately, the study did not succeed in identifying specific learning tactics which more established organizations could adopt from smaller and more informal operations. When interview data from Ikea did not align with prior assumptions I had made for the need of improved systems promoting feedback, we pivoted in order to devise a solution which addressed a couple of actual needs identified. The revised experiential solution is designed to reduce the stigma associated with failure, while tackling knowledge loss in an effort to preserve hard learned lessons. I introduce Ikea to a prototype of a learning tool in the form of a card deck. Rather than limiting the topics covered to greatest hits, the cards inform about a range of successes and failures, both of which provide essential learning opportunities. While a small intervention such as playing cards may be viewed as more of a novelty, and unlikely to alter institutional learning of a multinational company, the goal of this simple solution is to take the initial step in re-conceptualizing failure as a learning opportunity. Moreover, the deck provides a friendly repository for collective experiences, which unlike the far more serious dossier maintained at some undisclosed location within a giant corporation, can be accessed easily and enjoyed in a more casual and stress-free atmosphere by friends or coworkers over beers.
Keywords
Failure, trial & error, learning by doing, organizational learning, trust, psychological safety, feedback, cultural preservation, institutional memory.