Can you handle failure?
1Dattner Consulting, USA. ben@dattnerconsulting.com
Harvard Business Review
|April 23, 2011
Summary
Managerial success hinges on handling failure constructively. This study identifies common maladaptive responses to failure and offers strategies for developing self-awareness and adaptive behaviors for balanced reactions.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Effective failure and blame management is crucial for managerial success.
- Approximately 70% of individuals exhibit personality types prone to inappropriate reactions to failure, categorized as extrapunitive, impunitive, or intrapunitive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify common maladaptive responses to failure and blame.
- To provide strategies for cultivating self-awareness and political awareness.
- To offer methods for developing more adaptive responses to failure.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of personality types and their typical reactions to failure.
- Description of strategies for self-awareness and political awareness.
- Presentation of tactics for constructive failure response.
Main Results:
- Individuals often react to failure with external blame (extrapunitive), denial (impunitive), or excessive self-blame (intrapunitive).
- Developing self-awareness and political awareness are key initial steps.
- Strategies include active listening, careful reflection, thoughtful action, and learning from mistakes.
Conclusions:
- Flawed responses to failure can be corrected through targeted strategies.
- Understanding different personality types' reactions aids in managing interpersonal dynamics.
- The presented taxonomy and tactics promote balanced and constructive approaches to failure.
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