In a study of nursing units at two hospitals, the teams rated as working best together recorded more medication errors, not fewer. Edmondson’s account of the result: “Better teams appeared to have higher, not lower, error rates.” The explanation she reached was that the difference lay in reporting. “Better teams probably don’t make more mistakes, but they are more able to discuss mistakes.” The survey item that separated the units was whether “If you make a mistake in this unit, it won’t be held against you.”
The account is Edmondson’s own, published in Behavioral Scientist on 4 October 2023 as an excerpt from her book Right Kind of Wrong. The study itself is Edmondson, “Learning from Mistakes is Easier Said Than Done”, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, volume 32, number 1, 1996, pages 5 to 28, which reports patient care groups in two hospitals. The paper is paywalled.
Source: Amy C. Edmondson, Behavioral Scientist, “The Intelligent Failure that Led to the Discovery of Psychological Safety”, 2023-10-04.