FLOPping for Success: Building an institutional culture of learning from failure

USAID implementing partners seek to institutionalize intentional learning in a way that contributes to better outcomes, but learning from failure can be daunting, uncomfortable, or disincentivized. The International Republican Institute (IRI) piloted an innovative Pause and Reflect method to destigmatize discussion of failures to encourage breaking down silos to promote cross-program learning and generate takeaways that could contribute to improved organizational effectiveness. IRI’s “failures for learning, opportunities, and progress (FLOP) festivals” contributed to a more open culture of continuous learning and improvement across the organization. Over time, IRI found that the criteria fundamental to driving active and honest participation included soliciting participants inputs on the session topic to ensure it was relevant and actionable, securing division leadership buy-in and tailoring the discussion to ensure that the conversations were solution-oriented. Through these staff-led initiatives, leveraging the CLA Pause and Reflect model, IRI built its internal culture of learning from failure to improve organizational effectiveness.