Every great research advance was paved by countless failed experiments. Indeed, the greatest innovative leaps in science have had an equally great risk of failure. As such, fear of failure may be the greatest deterrent to research progress due to missed opportunities. The following is a framework for cultivating a freedom-to-fail culture in your lab that will drive innovation, creativity, and accelerate research progress. First, failure is often viewed as an end result rather than one of many steps to success. Normalizing failure as a necessary and important part of the research pathway can help create a positive, growth mindset. There is also a false assumption that failed experiments become a reflection on the research acumen of the scientist. A fixed outcome viewpoint and internalization of failure can make it difficult to face the potential consequences of failure, hamstringing the necessary risk taking of innovative approaches. By normalizing failure and externalizing failure as a necessary part of personal growth, you can create a ‘safety net’ for taking those big leaps and lower the stakes of scientific risk. It should be noted that failure in research always comes at a cost in terms of time and resources. As researchers, we must also look to mechanisms to mitigate that cost. In addition to embracing divergent thinking and a growth mindset, we should also consider the mechanisms that allow us to quickly test hypotheses with sufficient rigor to identify new directions. In this way, a well-designed experiment is never a failure because you have learned more about the system which allows you to look for alternative options and make a better leap the next time. This combination of creating a freedom-to-fail culture and iterative design efficiency can accelerate polymer research and innovation.

Freedom-to-fail culture drives innovation in polymer research

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.