Prof. Manu Kapur joins Aidan McCullen for part 3 of our Innovation Show series on “productive failure.” Discover why initial struggle fosters deeper learning, how to design for failure in education and beyond, and how to unlock insights through cognitive dissonance.
Simon Hill, author of Expected Value (xV), reveals a powerful framework to measure the true impact of innovation. Learn how to avoid innovation theatre, kill zombie projects, and align creativity with real business value through xV’s blend of confidence, predicted value, time sensitivity, and strategic fit.
Michael Raynor explains why most strategies fail and how CEOs can fix them, exploring the RAP model, BCE’s diversification, and lessons in strategy.
In Part 2 of my conversation with Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, we explore the science behind learning from failure, including the Four A’s framework, variability in learning, and why struggle fuels adaptability in today’s fast-changing world.
In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen welcomes back Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, to explore the science of learning through failure.
We uncover the Basic Knowledge Fallacy, debate Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning, and introduce the Four A’s of Learning (Activation, Awareness, Affect, Assembly). Manu also explains why variability, struggle, and pretesting drive deeper learning, adaptability, and long-term success.
Whether you’re an educator, business leader, coach, or lifelong learner, this conversation will transform the way you think about learning and growth.
⏱️ Episode Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:33 – Welcoming the Guest: Manu Kapur
01:01 – Understanding the Basic Knowledge Fallacy
05:07 – Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning
08:08 – The Science Behind Productive Failure
14:01 – The Importance of Variability in Learning
21:14 – Pretesting and the Role of Struggle in Learning
26:43 – Final Thoughts and Cognitive Reflection Test
🔑 Key Takeaways:
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Why the path to learning is as important as the knowledge itself
-
The strengths and limits of direct instruction and discovery learning
-
How the Four A’s of Productive Failure create lasting understanding
-
Why variability and desirable difficulties improve adaptability
-
How struggle, pretesting, and impasses unlock deeper insights
📘 Resources:
📺 Watch more episodes of The Innovation Show: The Innovation Show on YouTube
🌐 Learn more about Manu Kapur: www.manukapur.com
📘 Get Manu’s book Productive Failure: https://amzn.to/3KrdV1Q
In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen welcomes back Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, to explore the science of learning through failure.
We uncover the Basic Knowledge Fallacy, debate Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning, and introduce the Four A’s of Learning (Activation, Awareness, Affect, Assembly). Manu also explains why variability, struggle, and pretesting drive deeper learning, adaptability, and long-term success.
Whether you’re an educator, business leader, coach, or lifelong learner, this conversation will transform the way you think about learning and growth.
⏱️ Episode Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:33 – Welcoming the Guest: Manu Kapur
01:01 – Understanding the Basic Knowledge Fallacy
05:07 – Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning
08:08 – The Science Behind Productive Failure
14:01 – The Importance of Variability in Learning
21:14 – Pretesting and the Role of Struggle in Learning
26:43 – Final Thoughts and Cognitive Reflection Test
🔑 Key Takeaways:
-
Why the path to learning is as important as the knowledge itself
-
The strengths and limits of direct instruction and discovery learning
-
How the Four A’s of Productive Failure create lasting understanding
-
Why variability and desirable difficulties improve adaptability
-
How struggle, pretesting, and impasses unlock deeper insights
📘 Resources:
📺 Watch more episodes of The Innovation Show: The Innovation Show on YouTube
🌐 Learn more about Manu Kapur: www.manukapur.com
📘 Get Manu’s book Productive Failure: https://amzn.to/3KrdV1Q
Manu Kapur joins The Innovation Show to discuss his book Productive Failure, showing how failure fuels deeper learning, creativity, and adaptability in education, business, and life.
In this episode of The Innovation Show, Philip Atkinson — beekeeper, organizational coach, and author of Bee Wise — shares how lessons from the hive can transform leadership, teamwork, and innovation.
Startups like Figma disrupt giants like Adobe not just through technology, but by reshaping mindsets. In this episode, bestselling author Sangeet Paul Choudary joins Aidan McCullen to explore how AI, cloud-first models, and unlearning are transforming the future of work and the knowledge economy.
Join Aidan McCullen as he welcomes Harvard professors Joe Bower and Clark Gilbert to explore how strategy truly emerges—from the ground up. Drawing from their book From Resource Allocation to Strategy, the conversation reveals how real-world decisions, not plans, shape organizational outcomes.