Promoting Intelligent Failure

Although we have heard the quote, attributed to Gene Kranz, “Failure is not an option,” in some contexts we should encourage failure. Amy Edmondson, in her presentation at the 2020 Global Leadership Summit, suggested that this might be our best approach to innovation and change. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School.

She first identified three types of failure:

Preventative failure--We should know better and make sure it does not happen.
Complex failure--We did not know better, and the failure is the consequence of unforeseen circumstances.
Intelligence failure--We intentionally launch out into novel territory, acknowledging the potential to fail.

Intelligent failure offers opportunities for learning and growth. Edmondson argued that we should promote intelligent failures if the following is true:

The opportunity explored is significant. This is a chance to do something that is new or pivotal for the organization.
The outcome will be informative. This is the best way to learn, and we have structures in place to accumulate good information.
The cost and scope are relatively small. We are not “betting the farm” on this, limiting investment of time, people, and money.
Key assumptions are clearly articulated. We have clear boundaries and parameters in place.

Professor Edmondson’s basic concern, however, was that such intelligent failures should only be attempted where there is a safe environment that allows experimentation and potential failure without recrimination.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, intelligent failures have been forced on many organizations, including churches. Although we may not have called the process by this name, clergy leaders have frequently been given freedom to try some things that had never been done before. Some worked and others did not, but healthy churches provided the environment for such attempts at innovation. Churches with this openness and trust are those that will continue to thrive no matter what is thrown at them. Those without this culture will struggle and may not survive.

I hope you have the opportunity to pursue intelligent failures in your church. Some call these “holy experiments.” We need more of them.

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