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CPI in the news Article November 10th, 2022

ICYMI: Failure is inevitable, so why not learn from it?

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Originally published on GCN. Read the original article here

A “failing forward” mindset helps agencies innovate, a new report states.

Failing forward means “viewing failure as a learning opportunity, but when you break that down, it’s talking about identifying, communicating, analyzing and doing something about failure,” said Josh Sorin, global director for climate action at the Centre for Public Impact (CPI) and a co-author of the report, “Failing forward in local government: how-to guide,” which CPI published in September.

In government, too often “doing something” means sweeping failure under the rug, Sorin said. That’s because system structures and government processes are not incentivized for learning. For example, siloed agencies aren’t set up to deal with cross-agency challenges such as climate change or a pandemic. As a result, people try to avoid failure, but that’s impossible. 

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Josh Sorin Global Director, Climate Action
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