Right Kind of Wrong

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 are often torn between two "Failure Cultures": we are told to either avoid failure at all costs, or to fail fast, fail often. But neither of these approaches helps us to distinguish good failure from bad. As a result, we miss the opportunity to fail well.

In Right Kind of Wrong, Amy Edmondson draws on decades of award-winning research to provide a new framework to think about, discuss, and practice failure wisely. Edmondson showcases how we can minimize unproductive failure, pursue intelligent failure, and maximize what we gain from flubs of all stripes. She illustrates how to learn when failure is our friend, and how to prevent most of it when it is not, so we can pursue smart risks and prevent avoidable harm. With vivid real-life stories spanning business, pop culture, and history, Edmondson gives us the practices, skills, and mindsets we need to replace shame and blame with curiosity, vulnerability, and personal growth. You'll never look at failure the same way again.

• Part One; The Failure Landscape
1. Chasing the Right Kind of Wrong
2. Eureka!
3. To Err Is Human
4. The Perfect Storm
• Part Two: Practicing the Science of Failing Well
5. We Have Met the Enemy
6. Contexts and Consequences
7. Appreciating Systems
8. Thriving as a Fallible Human Being