[ti:How Failure Can Lead to Long-Lasting Knowledge] [ar: Steve Ember] [al:Education Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English [00:03.08]Education Report. [00:04.76]No one likes to make mistakes. [00:07.81]But a new study says [00:09.73]organizations learn more [00:12.35]from their failures [00:13.65]than their successes, [00:15.21]and keep that knowledge longer. [00:17.95]One of the researchers [00:20.00]was Vinit Desai, [00:22.17]an assistant professor [00:23.67]at the University of [00:25.04]Colorado Denver Business School. [00:27.71]He worked with Peter Madsen [00:30.08]from the Marriott School [00:31.88]of Management [00:33.25]at Brigham Young University [00:34.74]in Utah. [00:35.98]They did not find much long-term [00:38.97]"organizational learning" [00:41.08]from success. [00:42.52]It is possible, they say. [00:44.88]But Professor Desai says [00:47.49]they found that knowledge gained [00:49.98]from failure lasts for years. [00:52.90]He says organizations [00:55.64]should treat failures [00:57.45]as a learning opportunity [00:59.56]and not try to ignore them. [01:02.73]The study looked at companies [01:05.59]and organizations that launch [01:08.08]satellites and other space vehicles. [01:11.19]Professor Desai [01:13.18]compared two shuttle flights. [01:15.67]In two thousand two, [01:17.66]a piece of insulating material [01:20.58]broke off during launch and damaged [01:23.69]a rocket on the Atlantis. [01:26.37]Still, the flight [01:27.99]was considered a success. [01:29.73]Then, in early two thousand three, [01:33.90]a piece of insulation struck [01:36.26]the Columbia during launch. [01:38.62]This time, the shuttle [01:40.99]broke apart on re-entry [01:42.85]and the seven crew members died. [01:46.09]NASA officials suspended all flights [01:50.01]and an investigation [01:51.68]led to suggested changes. [01:54.36]Professor Desai says the search [01:57.97]for solutions after a failure [02:00.45]can make leaders more open-minded. [02:04.06]He points to airlines as an example [02:07.67]of an industry that has learned [02:09.72]from failures in the past. [02:11.84]He advises organizations to look [02:15.70]for useful information [02:17.81]in small failures [02:19.61]and failures they avoided. [02:22.04]He also urges leaders to encourage [02:26.14]the open sharing of information. [02:28.82]The study appeared in the Academy [02:32.18]of Management Journal. [02:34.11]The mistakes we learn [02:36.35]from do not have to be our own. [02:39.21]We recently asked people [02:41.70]on our Facebook page [02:43.56]to tell us a time they had done [02:46.42]something really silly. [02:48.04]Fabricio Cimino wrote: [02:50.59]Not long ago I wanted to watch TV, [02:53.89]but it wouldn't turn on, [02:56.19]so I did everything I could [02:59.11]to start it. [03:00.23]Thirty minutes later my mum [03:02.85]shows up and, passing by, [03:05.08]says to me "Did you try plugging it?" [03:08.38]I was like "I'm just dusting, Mum!" [03:12.49]so she wouldn't notice [03:14.35]how dumb I am sometimes! [03:16.22]Bruno Kanieski da Silva [03:19.58]told about a time he looked [03:21.69]everywhere for his key. [03:23.31]It was in his pocket. [03:25.92]He wrote: I always promise [03:29.22]I will never do it again, [03:31.40]but after a few weeks ... [03:33.70]where is my wallet? [03:35.69]For sure it will be [03:38.05]in a very logical place. [03:40.04]You can find more comments [03:43.65]like these on Facebook [03:45.27]at VOA Learning English. [03:48.19]And that's the VOA Special English [03:51.61]Education Report, [03:53.23]written by Avi Arditti. [03:55.47] I'm Steve Ember.