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Right Kind of Wrong
Edmondson's 2023 book on the science of failing well — the systematic treatment of intelligent failure as the engine of organizational learning.
Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (Atria, 2023) is Edmondson's systematic treatment of failure as a capability rather than an outcome. The book organizes three decades of empirical work around the three-category failure taxonomy — preventable, complex, and intelligent — and argues that distinguishing among them is the foundational skill for operating in environments of genuine uncertainty. The book's timing relative to the AI transition is not coincidental. Edmondson argues explicitly that the capabilities required to navigate rapid technological change — experimentation, adaptation, honest assessment of what is not working — depend on cultures that distinguish intelligent failure from the other kinds and protect it accordingly.
In The You On AI Field Guide
The book opens with the argument that most organizational responses to failure are pathological. Blame-all cultures suppress the experimentation that generates learning. Blameless cultures forfeit the discipline that keeps experiments from becoming excuses. Edmondson's alternative is a structured vocabulary that allows organizations to hold rigor and exploration together — celebrating the