When Error Learning Orientation Leads to Learning From Project Failure: The Moderating Role of Fear of Face Loss

Abstract

As the importance of failure is widely recognized, there is increasing research interest in the antecedents of learning from failure. Basing on affective event theory, the current study cast light on individuals’ cognition of error and proposed that employees with higher levels of error learning orientation tend to show more positive grieving after project failure, which in turn increases their learning from failure. Using a sample of 752 employees from 140 project teams, we found empirical evidence to support this theoretical model. Our results indicated that positive grieving mediated the relationship between error learning orientation and learning from failure. Besides, the relationship between error learning orientation and positive grieving is more positive for employees with lower levels of fear of face loss. Our findings help enrich the antecedents of learning from failure by shedding light on how and when error learning orientation matters. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

When Learning Goal Orientation Leads to Learning From Failure: The Roles of Negative Emotion Coping Orientation and Positive Grieving

“…This is very different from the research conclusions of previous scholars. Most of the previous scholars have confirmed that positive grieving has a positive effect (e.g., learning from failure) ( Wang et al, 2019 ). Our research confirms that positive grieving may also have a negative effect, which provides a theoretical and practical basis for follow-up scholars to further explore.…”

“…), the organization’s management style (e.g., error management culture), and individual characteristics (e.g., resilience), there is little research on the role of failure-induced transitional emotions (i.e., positive grieving) in individual learning process ( Zhao, 2011 ; Fang He et al, 2018 ). As a normal emotion after negative events occur, previous research shows that positive grieving may have an impact on learning behaviors ( Wang et al, 2019 ). However, few scholars use it as a moderating variable to study its influence on the mechanism of individual behavior and its antecedent variables.…”

“…There are few studies on whether positive grieving has a positive effect or a negative effect on individuals. Some previous studies have shown that positive grieving will positively related to learning behavior ( Wang et al, 2019 ), but as a bright aspect of the grieving, few studies use it as a moderator to explore its effect on the process of “cognition—learning.” When employees are dealing with the impact of negative emotions, can positive grieving have a boundary effect on the learning process? This is very important for employees to learn from failure in a grieving mood.…”

“…While positive grieving is a form of grieving first proposed by Blau (2006) , which describes the positive aspects of grieving, usually manifested in acceptance, exploration, etc. Some previous studies have shown that positive grieving will positively related to learning behavior ( Wang et al, 2019 ), but as a bright aspect of the grieving, few studies use it as a moderator to explore its boundary effect on the learning process. Therefore, exploring whether positive grieving can play a positive role in the relationship between the individual’s coping orientations to negative emotions and learning from failure can help us further understand the mechanism of positive grieving.…”

Shame on You! When and Why Failure-Induced Shame Impedes Employees’ Learning From Failure in the Chinese Context

“…Therefore, cultural differences also need to be considered when exploring the role of shame. In fact, some scholars have combined face to learning from failure-related research (e.g., Wang et al, 2019). However, there is still a lack of further description of its specific mechanism.…”