Appreciating Failure

Things don't always work out, but learning from this always enriches future projects.

4.22
Flower
  
  

+problem

Science - whether academic research or understanding of Transition initiatives - has a tendency to focus on and promote positive results and things that work. What do we do with failures?

  

+background

Appreciating failure is important for two key reasons. First, acknowledging that any kind of science, research, Transition project, etc. doesn't always work (rather than pretending otherwise), builds confidence and can reduce the mystique associated with certain forms of expertise.

 

Second, there is often a lot to be learnt from analysing why certain projects fail. Over the medium and long term, therefore, appreciating failure can improve knowledge and understanding and make future projects more robust and likely to be successful.

 

Appreciating failure is key to the principle 2.02 Critical thinking, and applies to the process of research collaboration as well as on-the-ground projects - there is no gold standard for success in doing research, and to pretend otherwise is to act without humility and can deter others.

  

+solution

Let's talk about failure, in Transition and in research. Failure is normal,  and productive - it's how we learn and move on.

  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Wheeled by Wagn v. 1.12.13