Executive Summary

Summary

Does your firm learn from mistakes? Are they discussed and studied or swept under the rug?  This is a critical question in a competitive environment as the right answer is not always popular, easy or even obvious.  We have been raised in an increasingly blame oriented culture and as a consequence, society does not support learning from mistakes. Yet when we can learn from them they can be rocket fuel for improvements. In society, error is associated with shame and also with ignorance, laziness. That\'s why few people and fewer companies tolerate mistakes. Some people think if you want to increase your success rate just increase your failure (mistake) rate. Success comes from trying things and seeing what happens and learning.