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A study of how "blame cultures" can be turned into "gain cultures". The book draws on analysis of 200 accounts of mistakes, looks at the type of mistake, the context they were made in and how they helped learning and development. Advice is given on how organizations can learn through mistakes.
List of contents
Contents: Chris Swinson’s Biggest Mistake. Part 1 Coming to Terms with Mistakes: The importance of learning from mistakes - Tony Fraher’s Biggest Mistake; Facing up to mistakes - Edward Simon’s Biggest Mistake; Mistakes people make - a study - Carl Snitcher’s Biggest Mistake; Lessons learned from mistakes - David Arnold’s Biggest Mistake. Part 2 Harnessing the Positive Power of Mistakes: Learning from mistakes made by organizations - David Bruce’s Biggest Mistake; Cultivating intelligent mistakes in a gain culture - Geoff Morrow’s Biggest Mistake; How we can learn from our mistakes - Gerry Cottle’s Biggest Mistake; Freedom to make mistakes: some examples of breaking with convention - Michael Day’s Biggest Mistake; Managing the positive power of mistakes - Norman Adsetts’ Biggest Mistake; The authors’ mistakes; What have you learned from this book? Personal reflection and feedback form; Further reading; Index.
About the author
Michael Pearn, Chris Mulrooney and Tim Payne are all consultants with occupational psychologists, Pearn Kandola. Previous publications include Learning Organizations in Practice and Job Analysis.
Summary
This book is about mistakes and what we can learn from them. It faces up to, and explains how organizations can escape from ’blame cultures’, where fearful conformance and risk avoidance lead to stagnation, to ’gain cultures’ which tolerate and even encourage mistakes in the pursuit of innovation, change and improvement.
Additional text
' ... full of important tips for HR specialists seeking to create a supportive learning culture.' People Management 'This highly readable book, with often amusing accounts of individuals' mistakes (including the authors' own) is equally applicable to individuals as well as to organizations.' Strategic Communication Management ' ... offers advice and practical measures to help organisations enhance learning by managing mistakes and promote a culture which supports and fosters experimentation and risk taking.' Business Books Direct Catalogue 'Overall this is an easily digestible book and pulls together some interesting ideas which are very practical. Well worth looking at.' Journal of Managerial Psychology ' ... extremely interesting for both the conceptual and practical arguments it offers, is well presented and sufficiently supported by an extensive literature. I strongly recommend it to every reader, especially those who have made mistakes. They will feel relieved to realise that making mistakes means being alive and that learning from them means continuous self-improvement and personal advancement.' Professional Manager '... the reader benefits enormously from the others' wrongdoing. The book is extremely interesting for both the conceptual and practical arguments: it is both well presented and is supported by an extensive literature. I strongly recommend the book to every reader, to everyone that has made a mistake and has been well aware of it.' From Corex (Centre for Organizational Excellence) Website
