Failure: Does fear hold us back from changing systems?

Failure can often paralyse us. Fear of failing stops us from taking risks. Reaction to failure can damage trust in organisations. Made worse by competitive commissioning markets, it can create silo organisations that are defensive about getting things wrong, and it can lead systems to go for the easiest, safest options.

In this conversation to challenge us, the New System Alliance will be opening up about failure, and will give a space for allies to talk about their own failures. Only by normalising this, and reducing the fear we have, can we begin to have open conversations about what we could do better.

In short: how can we say what’s wrong with the system, if we can’t say what’s wrong with ourselves?

PS: Failure, getting things wrong, fear, damage… all of these are deficit words. We are using them deliberately to show how they feel in the cold light of day. But we recognise that this might feel scary too – so if you disagree, come along and say!