Failure has seldom been sexier, with advocates believing that if you’re not failing regularly, you’re not pushing the boundaries far enough.  Such cheerleaders often evoke the spirit of Edison, who famously remarked that his thousands of failed experiments were a necessary precursor to the invention of the lightbulb.

Edison’s notorious example merely serves to illustrate the importance of learning from each dead end so that you can be more successful next time.  To take such constructive feedback from failure, it’s vital that we understand the essence of what our failures represent.

Researchers from Northwestern University have attempted to shed some light on just what failure often entails in a recently published paper which explores what it is about failure that is so important for innovation.

Learning from our mistakes

The researchers hone in on two factors they believe are key to both success and failure.  The first of these is chance, as luck inevitably plays a vital role, whilst the second is our ability to learn from each event.

When exploring the role luck plays, they construct a model that allows them to test whether success is largely a random occurrence that will inevitably come your way if you persist long enough.  With this hypothesis, the more attempts one has, the more likely they are to eventually succeed.

Perhaps not that surprisingly, this didn’t turn out to be the case, and there wasn’t any clear indication that luck was the sole determinant of success.  In large part, this was because when each attempt was analyzed, latter efforts were significantly better than earlier ones.

It’s okay to fail

This resonated in my first class with the Hoopla Improv Theatre in London, where we were told not to worry about being funny or making fools of ourselves because, in improv, it’s all good.  Aside from being fantastic fun, it also flexes numerous muscles that can be hugely useful in the workplace.

For instance, research from the University of Calgary found that it is a highly effective method of improving our storytelling abilities.  This is especially so in a collaborative environment as improv teaches you very early on that a big part of your job is to support your fellow performers.

Seasoned performers know that whatever they say on stage, their peers will not only immediately accept it but also support them in trying to run with the idea by adding their own suggestions to the conversation.  Indeed, the golden rule of the art form is to make your partner look good.

It’s also an intensely responsive art form as you’re not only building on the contributions of your partners but also at times from the audience themselves.  That encourages not only a mental dexterity that is so valuable in a rapidly changing world, but also an intense focus on listening to what others are saying.  If you’re simply waiting for your turn to speak then you will come unstuck very quickly indeed.

Improv is also fantastic because everyone is encouraged to participate, which in a world in which employee voice remains something that minority groups are still deprived of in the workplace is an invaluable lesson we can all take on board.  That this learning often takes place through “affect”, or in other words, through a pre-conscious level of thought, also makes it highly effective.

Honoring failure

Highly creative companies, such as Pixar, have long espoused the importance of creating an environment that encourages risk-taking in order to support creativity and innovation.

Research from the University of Arizona argues that the best way to learn from failure is when it’s mixed in with successes in just the right amount.  They suggest that this occurs when a task is just hard enough to stretch us, but not so challenging that we fail all the time and are therefore more likely to give up.

They believe this sweet spot occurs when we fail around 15% of the time in our endeavors, with a success rate therefore of around 85%.  This is when the best learning appears to emerge.

“These ideas that were out there in the education field – that there is this ‘zone of proximal difficulty,’ in which you ought to be maximizing your learning – we’ve put that on a mathematical footing,” the researchers say.

Adapting to change

This is a zone that improv certainly fits within as while participants are undoubtedly stepping outside of their comfort zone, there is such a tolerance for failure that learning is almost guaranteed.  It’s also a crucial skill to develop in a time in which individuals and organizations are having to adapt to change like never before.

Research from London Business School illustrates the way in which improv can improve our resilience and ability to adapt to change.  The researchers urge managers to consider using improv training to equip their teams with the skills and attitudes to thrive in such an unpredictable world.

They can also work to develop a culture of psychological safety so that employees feel emboldened not only to speak up but to fail without fear of reprisal.  Such an “improv-friendly culture” would also promote support between employees and move away from a zero-sum, dog-eat-dog culture.

Adaptability is often regarded as the key skill for success in the modern world, with Alvin Toffler famously remarking that success is largely based on our ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn. With no session ever the same as those before them, improv certainly provides us with many of the skills to do just that.