Learning to “fail forward” in the workplace
By Celeste Nangolo /
Innovation doesn’t happen without risk, and part of that risk involves things not always going as planned.
Innovation is, in essence, “planned failure”.
That sounds kind of daunting, but it’s a thought necessary for actual progress. We learn through risk and experimentation what works and what doesn’t.
And when a new approach does not work out, we call that “failing forward.” That is, instead of concentrating on mistakes, we concentrate on what we can learn from them and how we can apply that learning to get better.
What needs to be created is an environment where individuals feel comfortable trying new things without fear of failure. For this to come into being, leaders have to encourage this behaviour and stimulate the teams toward experimentation.
It is not just a question of giving license to try new things but assuring them it is okay; not every experiment will work. Teams having a clear license to explore can be creative, pushing the boundaries, ready to adapt to change.
One of the most effective means of building a “failing forward” culture is to change how we think about mistakes: errors are valuable data.
If a team tries a new way of approaching customer service and fails to get the desired results, they haven’t failed. They’ve learned something significant about what customers do or don’t respond to. This is incredibly valuable knowledge in that it refines their future strategies and helps the team get closer to finding a solution that works.
The second critical component of this culture is learning to “fail fast.” That is, when something isn’t working, best to recognise it early, adjust, and try something new.
This way, if teams quickly identify what is not working, then resources will not be wasted on things that aren’t working. They would then pivot toward a new solution with more information and a clearer sense of direction.
Leaders will also play a role in shaping this culture. When leaders frankly share their experiences of taking risks, trying new things, sometimes failing, this normalises it for everyone else. It sends a signal to the team that you are allowed to take risks and learn from the results which come your way, whatever they might be.
Other good tools to keep this mindset of continuous learning going are regular team discussions on what went right and wrong, what worked and didn’t, and how things can be further improved.
Finally, a “fail forward” culture is all about growth. It empowers employees to think out of the box, own their ideas, and look at failure as a stepping stone rather than a setback.
Organisations will be able to develop a spirit of resilience and creativity that truly drives innovation by paying attention to what might be learned from each attempt.
It is not just about getting it right the first time; rather, it’s about continuously moving forward, learning at every step, and together achieving bigger successes.
– Celeste Nangolo is the Human Capital Manager at Old Mutual Namibia.
