Carole Hemmelgarn

If nothing else, you may find that thinking about failure on a spectrum from blameworthy to praiseworthy is more useful than the standard blaming and shaming. It may even make you less afraid of failure. That said, not everyone is a fan of Edmondson's ethos of embracing failure.

If nothing else, you may find that thinking about failure on a spectrum from blameworthy to praiseworthy is more useful than the standard blaming and shaming. It may even make you less afraid of failure. That said, not everyone is a fan of Edmondson's ethos of embracing failure.

If nothing else, you may find that thinking about failure on a spectrum from blameworthy to praiseworthy is more useful than the standard blaming and shaming. It may even make you less afraid of failure. That said, not everyone is a fan of Edmondson's ethos of embracing failure.

A research article by Jeffrey Ray at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County is called Dispelling the Myth that Organizations Learn from Failure. He writes, failure shouldn't even be in a firm's vocabulary to learn from failure or otherwise. A firm must have an organizational learning capability.

A research article by Jeffrey Ray at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County is called Dispelling the Myth that Organizations Learn from Failure. He writes, failure shouldn't even be in a firm's vocabulary to learn from failure or otherwise. A firm must have an organizational learning capability.

A research article by Jeffrey Ray at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County is called Dispelling the Myth that Organizations Learn from Failure. He writes, failure shouldn't even be in a firm's vocabulary to learn from failure or otherwise. A firm must have an organizational learning capability.

If the firm has the learning capability in the first instance, why not apply it at the beginning of a project to prevent a failure rather than waiting for a failure to occur and then reacting to it? But Amy Edmondson's failure spectrum has been winning admirers, including Gary Klein, the research psychologist best known as the pioneer of naturalistic decision-making.

If the firm has the learning capability in the first instance, why not apply it at the beginning of a project to prevent a failure rather than waiting for a failure to occur and then reacting to it? But Amy Edmondson's failure spectrum has been winning admirers, including Gary Klein, the research psychologist best known as the pioneer of naturalistic decision-making.

If the firm has the learning capability in the first instance, why not apply it at the beginning of a project to prevent a failure rather than waiting for a failure to occur and then reacting to it? But Amy Edmondson's failure spectrum has been winning admirers, including Gary Klein, the research psychologist best known as the pioneer of naturalistic decision-making.

OK, let's do that. After the break, two case studies of failure, one of them toward the blameworthy end of the spectrum.

OK, let's do that. After the break, two case studies of failure, one of them toward the blameworthy end of the spectrum.

OK, let's do that. After the break, two case studies of failure, one of them toward the blameworthy end of the spectrum.

I'm Stephen Dubner. This is Freakonomics Radio. We'll be right back. John Van Rienen is a professor at the London School of Economics. He studies innovation, but years ago, he did some time in the British Civil Service.

I'm Stephen Dubner. This is Freakonomics Radio. We'll be right back. John Van Rienen is a professor at the London School of Economics. He studies innovation, but years ago, he did some time in the British Civil Service.

I'm Stephen Dubner. This is Freakonomics Radio. We'll be right back. John Van Rienen is a professor at the London School of Economics. He studies innovation, but years ago, he did some time in the British Civil Service.

The National Health Service is the UK's publicly funded healthcare system. And there was one particular reform that Van Rienen got to see up close.

The National Health Service is the UK's publicly funded healthcare system. And there was one particular reform that Van Rienen got to see up close.

The National Health Service is the UK's publicly funded healthcare system. And there was one particular reform that Van Rienen got to see up close.

The project was called Connecting for Health, and there was substantial enthusiasm for it. At least the ad campaign was enthusiastic.

The project was called Connecting for Health, and there was substantial enthusiasm for it. At least the ad campaign was enthusiastic.