Right Kind of Wrong audiobook cover - The Science of Failing Well

Right Kind of Wrong

The Science of Failing Well

Amy Edmondson

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Right Kind of Wrong
Mindset Shift+
Psychological Safety+
The Spectrum of Failure+
Strategies for Learning+
Institutionalizing Culture+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
What is 'psychological safety' in the context of the workplace?
  • A. A policy that guarantees employees will not be fired for any mistakes.
  • B. An environment where team members can speak up, share ideas, and take risks without fear of punishment.
  • C. A management strategy that focuses exclusively on providing positive reinforcement.
  • D. A legal framework protecting whistleblowers from corporate retaliation.
Question 2 of 7
According to Amy Edmondson, how should organizations view the 'spectrum of failure'?
  • A. All failures are equally valuable and should be celebrated unconditionally.
  • B. Failures range from blameworthy (e.g., negligence) to praiseworthy (e.g., calculated risks for innovation).
  • C. Failures should be strictly divided into financial losses and operational inefficiencies.
  • D. Blameworthy failures should be ignored to maintain team morale and psychological safety.
Question 3 of 7
What is the primary goal of conducting a 'post-mortem review' after a failure?
  • A. To identify which employee is responsible so they can be held accountable.
  • B. To calculate the exact financial cost of the failure to adjust the quarterly budget.
  • C. To identify the root causes of the failure and generate actionable recommendations for improvement.
  • D. To create a public report demonstrating transparency to external shareholders.
Question 4 of 7
How does Pixar Animation Studios actively encourage learning from failure?
  • A. By requiring employees to spend 20% of their time on personal passion projects.
  • B. By encouraging employees to share rough, unfinished work to receive iterative feedback.
  • C. By offering financial bonuses to teams that never miss a production deadline.
  • D. By implementing a strict policy where repeated mistakes lead to immediate termination.
Question 5 of 7
What is one powerful way leaders can foster psychological safety among their team?
  • A. By demanding perfection and penalizing small errors to set high standards.
  • B. By modeling curiosity, admitting their own mistakes, and actively seeking dissenting opinions.
  • C. By shielding their team from all negative feedback from upper management.
  • D. By taking personal responsibility for every single failure that occurs in the organization.
Question 6 of 7
Why does the author recommend using storytelling when sharing lessons learned from failure?
  • A. It helps obscure the technical details of a failure to protect proprietary information.
  • B. It makes the insights from the failure more memorable and actionable for people.
  • C. It allows management to shift the blame onto external factors in a more convincing way.
  • D. It is a required step for documenting failures in official Human Resources records.
Question 7 of 7
How can an organization formally integrate 'failure learning' into its systems and culture?
  • A. By evaluating employees during performance reviews on their ability to learn from failures.
  • B. By creating a 'three strikes' policy for employee mistakes to ensure accountability.
  • C. By ensuring that failure case studies are kept strictly confidential among upper management.
  • D. By removing all risk-taking metrics from annual performance goals.

Right Kind of Wrong — Full Chapter Overview

Right Kind of Wrong Summary & Overview

The Right Kind of Wrong (2023) explores the counterintuitive idea that embracing failure is essential for driving innovation and long-term success in organizations. It provides a framework for understanding the spectrum of reasons for failure and offers practical strategies for fostering a culture that encourages learning from mistakes. 

Who Should Listen to Right Kind of Wrong?

  • Business leaders and executives looking to foster innovation and improve performance
  • Managers and team leaders seeking to create a culture of continuous improvement
  • Anyone interested in personal development and building resilience

About the Author: Amy Edmondson

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, where she has taught since 1996. She is the author of several influential books, including Teaming and The Fearless Organization.

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