18.02.2020 Gabriele Strasser 1513

9 tips for a positive error culture

Darina Doubravová, trainer at pme Familienservice, knows the hurdles. She has nine tips on how you as a manager can establish a culture of error in your team or company and set the right example. 

1. Ask the question "why".

The first step is to look at the reasons. Why do you want to establish an error culture in the company in the first place? And what should change as a result? Personally, I have internalized the knowledge that I will always make mistakes because you simply can't be perfect. But if I always want to do everything right and don't change my attitude, mistakes will cause me stress and anger. In the end, I will be permanently dissatisfied or even fall ill. 

2. Differentiate, but be open to adjustments.

In many cases, we call for a new culture without touching the system in which we operate. In systems in which employee misconduct is criticized, freedom is curtailed and activities are defined down to the last detail, we find it difficult to take mistakes lightly. In these systems, "error-friendly" behavior would simply be too risky. In other areas, openness to mistakes is helpful, for example when it comes to innovations and new digital solutions. Here you can learn from mistakes and gain important insights. By contrast, mistakes in accounting, for example, are at best annoying and at worst fatal. 

3. Consistent and fair: Be transparent in your communication.

A positive error culture thrives on communication. Encourage your employees to own up to their mistakes and learn from them. Nothing is worse than covering up mistakes for fear of the consequences. However, this requires one important ingredient: justice. If you let one employee get away with something - perhaps for good reason - but not another, this creates uncertainty. A feeling of injustice spreads. This makes it all the more important to communicate decisions transparently and be open to critical feedback. 

"If the internal culture is characterized by resentment and an elbow mentality, error culture has no chance." (Darina Doubravová, pme Familienservice)

4. Create trust in the error culture.

This brings us to the next important point: trust. One of the ways you generate this is by dealing competently with mistakes. Anyone who is "folded up" by their manager will not develop trust and will be wary of admitting mistakes in future. Instead of asking who is "to blame", try to find out how the mistake came about and what the team member in question or the team can learn from it. Encourage the team member to try again. Whatever you think of agile project management: Regular retrospectives or fixed team meetings to review what is going well and what is hindering are worth a lot in terms of trust and a constructive error culture. 

5. Reward creativity!

Praise employees who are courageous and perhaps make a mistake. Creativity should always be rewarded. Where would we be without the thinkers, dreamers and visionaries! Crazy ideas have a high error rate. So don't be blinded by a perfect end result. 

6. Change your point of view.

Perfectionists have a hard time. Where everything is new and there is no experience, it is impossible to get everything right. Mistakes help you to find the right path. And this is where the processes come into play: they must be set up in such a way that it is possible to check whether the path taken is the right one or whether there are alternatives. Retrospectives and time-outs are recommended here. 

7. Set a good example! 

As a manager, set an example of how to deal constructively with mistakes. This includes doing some soul-searching: What goes through your mind when you have made an avoidable mistake? What if someone else has made one? Also observe how others communicate their mistakes. Objectively or full of justifications and excuses? In practice, I often observe that employees with a weak error culture are afraid to justify themselves. If you model a positive attitude towards failure, team members will feel safe and can quickly focus on the positive aspects and learning experiences after a mistake. 

8. Establish a feedback culture! 

The sooner a mistake comes to light, the sooner you can learn from it. Feedback from colleagues and superiors as well as critical questioning of your own actions are the basis for successfully dealing with failures. It is a good idea to focus equally on successes and mistakes. Unfortunately, mistakes have a very negative connotation in German culture - but focusing on the negative makes us ill and paralyzes our creativity. 

9. Expect setbacks!

As with any change process, implementing an error culture will not always be an uphill climb. Take setbacks into account. Establishing a culture of error means changing your own attitude and behavior. To do this, learned and stored behavior patterns and reactions must change. This takes time and patience. Not everyone copes equally well with an error culture - even if it makes sense to them on a rational level. This is perfectly all right if you adapt to it and don't get discouraged.

Would you like to establish a culture of error in your company and need support or input? Then our in-house seminar "Perfectly human" is just right for you. Simply write to akademie@familienservice.de for more information.

Darina Doubravová works for the pme Familienservice

Senior trainer and coach for change management as well as leadership and organizational development