PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY & FAILING WELL with Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson (ep.175)

Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson talks with Andrea about the significance of accountability in a psychologically safe workplace. Learn about the important difference between disappointment vs regret and between mistakes vs failures. Amy shares insights from her new book, “The Right Kind of Wrong,” including the three types of failure, and the one we should be striving for!

BOOKS & ARTICLES MENTIONED

• Amy Edmondson – “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth” – https://amzn.to/4dYjz4R
• Amy Edmondson – “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well” –  https://amzn.to/4eGjOTc
• Daniel Kahneman – “Thinking Fast & Slow” – https://amzn.to/3UmQMjv
• Adam Grant (NYTimes) – “Women Know Exactly What They’re Doing When They Use “Weak Language” – https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/opinion/women-language-work.html
• Samuel Culbert – “Get Rid of the Performance Review!: How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing–and Focus on What Really Matters“ – https://amzn.to/40glY7x

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK

• Website: TalkAboutTalk.com
• Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/newsletter
• LinkedIn Andrea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/
• LinkedIn TalkAboutTalk: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/
• YouTube Channel: @talkabouttalkyoutube

TRANSCRIPT

Yes, we all have work to do. In the next 45 minutes, you’re going to learn directly from Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, a pioneer in psychological safety and failing well.

Wait – isn’t that an oxymoron? “Failing Well”?
Not necessarily.

I cant wait for you to hear my conversation with Amy

Welcome to Talk about Talk podcast episode #175
“Psychological Safety and failing well with professor Amy Edmondson.”

My name is Dr. Andrea Wojnicki and I’m an executive communication coach. Please just call me Andrea. Through my work at Talk about Talk, I coach ambitious executives to elevate their communication skills so they can communicate with confidence and credibility. To learn more about what I do, head over to talkabouttalk.com where you can read about the coaching and the workshops that I run. Plus there are lots of free resources for you, including the brand new archetypes quiz, where you can learn which archetype resonates with you and your professional identity. You can also free coaching from me by signing up for my free email newsletter.
Head over to talkabouttalk.com to sign up now.

OK,Let’s get into this.
Years ago, I had the privilege of taking Professor Amy Edmondson’s doctoral course called “Field Research Methods” at Harvard Business School. Fast forward to today. Many years later, I regularly coach executives – and medical and health care professionals, as youll hear, whether through 1:1 coaching sessions or corporate workshops, on some of the phenomena that Amy taught me, and some of the concepts that she pioneered, including psychological safety.

Recently, Amy published a new book called “Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing well”. After reading the boo