How to Set Your Team Up for Failure (So They Can Succeed)

Giovana Cury Pagliuca

Program Implementation Manager

Generation

About the Presentation

Innovation, continuous improvement, and creative problem-solving are often expected from teams, but the environments created do not always support that.

In many organizations, mistakes are avoided, ideas are filtered too early, and teams hesitate to challenge existing processes. When failure is not safe, experimentation disappears, and with it the opportunity to learn and improve.

This session explores how leaders and project managers can create environments where teams feel safe to test ideas, learn from setbacks, and contribute openly. We will discuss how psychological safety, experimentation, and learning from failure can strengthen collaboration, increase engagement, and drive meaningful process improvements.

Key Takeaways

Understand how your own mindset about failure influences your team’s behavior
Build team environments where it’s safe to experiment, challenge ideas, and learn openly
Turn setbacks into progress through effective feedback and continuous learning practices

About Giovana Cury Pagliuca

Giovana Cury Pagliuca is a project and program management professional with over 10 years of international experience across technology, localization, sustainability, and social impact. She has led global initiatives across China, Ghana, Colombia, and the United States, working with startups, nonprofits, and multinational companies to deliver projects that scale globally while remaining locally relevant.

Giovana holds a graduate degree in Translation, a postgraduate degree in Sustainability & Environmental Studies, and an MBA in International Marketing. She is a PMP®, and the recipient of the PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) Kerzner Award for Excellence in 2025.

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