Originally released in 2023, this episode remains one of our most insightful conversations on learning, leadership, and improvement in healthcare.
To err is human, but how we respond to failure determines whether we grow from it. In this episode of Critical Matters, Dr. Sergio Zanotti sits down with Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and one of the world’s foremost experts on team performance, psychological safety, and organizational learning.
Together, they explore the science of “failing well” and why our relationship with failure is often flawed. Their conversation examines different types of failure, the role of psychological safety in high-performing teams, and how individuals, teams, and organizations can learn from mistakes without assigning blame. Drawing from decades of research, Edmondson offers practical insights for creating environments where learning, innovation, and continuous improvement can thrive.
Whether you’re hearing this conversation for the first time or revisiting it, the lessons remain highly relevant for healthcare leaders and clinicians seeking to improve outcomes, strengthen teamwork, and embrace failure as a catalyst for growth.
Additional Resource:
Right Kind of Wrong. The Science of Failing Well. By Amy Edmondson
Faculty page for Amy Edmondson. A great jumping point to her vast body of work
Strategies for Learning from Failure. By A. Edmondson. Harvard Business Review 2011
Books Mentioned in this Episode:
Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure. By Tim Hartford
Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error. By Kathryn Shulz
Principles: Life and Work. By Ray Dalio
