Positive Links Speaker Series
Presented by the Center for Positive Organizations (University of Michigan)
Event Details:
The Science of Failing Well: How to Change Your Thinking to Lead (and Thrive) in an Uncertain World
Amy C. Edmondson
February 26, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 pm ET
Free, registration required
Event link:
https://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/events/the-science-of-failing-well-how-to-change-your-thinking-to-lead-and-thrive-in-an-uncertain-world/
About the Talk:
This session explores a mindset shift that supports effective action in the face of uncertainty. This shift is well captured by the short phrase, “think like a scientist,” offered as a deliberate contrast to thinking like a (command-and-control) manager. Classically, managers supplied answers and plans and evaluated how well others executed on them. In contrast, successful leaders of scientific labs offer direction and questions that empower action and help others make sense of data. This is not about being more lenient or laissez-faire, but rather about a new type of discipline. Their model provides an analog that leaders in any industry today can learn from. In short, today’s leaders must abandon the discipline of control to embrace the discipline of learning. Key concepts covered include psychological safety, intelligent failure, and interpersonal skills for high-quality conversations.
About Edmondson:
Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society.
Edmondson has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and most recently was ranked #1 in 2021 and 2023; she also received that organization’s Breakthrough Idea Award in 2019 and Talent Award in 2017. She studies teaming, psychological safety, and organizational learning, and her articles have been published in numerous academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review, and California Management Review.
Her 2019 book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth, has been translated into 15 languages. Edmondson’s latest book, Right Kind of Wrong, builds on her prior work on psychological safety and teaming to provide a framework for thinking about, discussing, and practicing the science of failing well. First published in the US and in the UK (Penguin) in September 2023, the book is due to be translated into 24 additional languages and was selected for the Financial Times and Schroders Best Business Book of the Year award.
Stay connected with Amy:
LinkedIn profile
Personal website
Host:
Monica Worline, Faculty Director, Center for Positive Organizations