Stefan Lindegaard uses a term called “smartfailing” to describe a new approach to failure. A smartfailing organization, when things go wrong (as they frequently will), does not focus its energy on assigning blame and doling out consequences. Instead, the smartfailing organization uses failure to become better. When an organization embraces smartfailing, it de-stigmatizes failure internally and uses failure as an opportunity to learn and to find a better course.
The April issue of the Harvard Business Review is dedicated to learning from failure. Story after story from corporate thought leaders seems to indicate that companies are taking steps towards viewing failure as something to be understood and learned from rather than punished or suppressed. If corporations are learning to learn from failure, why not universities? It seems that universities should be even more comfortable with the idea that failure is a learning opportunity. After all, U.S. research universities are under less short-term pressure to make a profit. At least in theory, universities seem like natural smartfailers since university culture celebrates open-ended basic scientific inquiry and academic freedom. Yet, in my experience, many university work environments are not yet ready to embrace smartfailing.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Why smartfailing will improve university innovation strategy « Triple Helix Innovation
