BEAFBA A man sitting in an auditorium with his head resting in his arms. Image shot 2009. Exact date unknown.
Source: BBC
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Words of wisdom heralded throughout our upbringing, to be sure. But is there any scientific proof that successive failure is positive and propels innovation forwards?
Tom Pohlmann, head of strategy and value at Mu Sigma, a decision science and data analytics firm, says there is, having studied in depth the idea of successive failure. “The rapid change of pace in business puts companies under pressure to innovate constantly, new technologies are making it possible to meet this challenge through on-going experimentation,” he said. Mu Sigma’s report shows failing fast and often is the best approach and the key to success in many areas of business.
The Mu Sigma researchers define this in their analysis as “the power of extreme experimentation”, claiming that science can demonstrate that failure drives forward innovation. This approach is echoed by engineers working in the pharmaceuticals, material sciences and automotive industries. “Those at the forefront of technology have to fly into mountains,” explained Ray Gibbs, CEO of Haydale, a material-science company based in the UK, US and South Korea that works with graphene to improve the properties of everyday materials such as inks and coatings. Gibbs believes that in order to develop any successful product you must try lots of different ideas to get to that end result, learning from the failures.
Failing isn’t bad for business. It just leads to something else happening, which, if carried out correctly builds upon that failure, adds Pohlmann. Even the mighty Apple had its share of failures, such as its early hand-held computer, The Newton, which Steve Jobs swiftly killed off.
Rethinking your approach
“A lot of people still think of failure as a sign of personal incompetence and try to avoid it at all cost,” said Andrew Filev, CEO and founder of Wrike, a software firm in Mountain View, California. “But when you view building a business as a series of experiments, you start to see failure as an inevitable step in the process.”
Categories: Psychology, The Muslim Times