To preface this piece - negative examples are about finding attributes, outcomes, etc. that you choose to avoid, not necessarily things that have failed.

Frequently we look around a good example of what we want to do.  We find some project, or team, or event that was insanely successful and point at it as a model to follow.  This is a great approach since we can learn from that things success, and then build on it.  It is, however, also important to find negative examples - things that didn’t go the way you want, or things you don’t want to do - to learn from.  These both teach you what can go wrong, but also help provide a better definition to the shape of what you want.

Just like how negative space in artwork can define interesting shapes (or even the artwork itself), negative examples at work help us define our outcome.  They allow us to look at another project/outcome/team/whatever and make more informed decisions on how we want to operate.  As noted above, this doesn’t necessarily mean those projects/outcomes/teams are not effective or working properly… just that you choose a different route.  Some examples:

• Methodologies - Agile project management makes a lot of sense…. In certain circumstances.  Many projects, however, will not benefit to the same degree, and some may even suffer.  Watching another project struggle with the wrong methodology can serve as an example for your work, and what to avoid.

• Team structure - How teams are setup differs widely, both between and within organizations.  Looking at other orgs will help you determine the shape of yours.  Maybe the People team has a great structure that’s super successful for them, but for some reason wouldn’t work in Engineering.  Noting that difference, and being able to point out why it wouldn’t be good for your team, will help avoid

• Documentation - While there are some more standardized ways to document material, at some point it comes down to specifically how a team operates, and choices they make in cataloging information.  Understanding why another group’s decisions wouldn’t be the best for your needs will help you better shape what would be best for you.

When finding negative examples it is important to keep any judgement of good/bad or any blame out of your assessment.  The intention is to help identify what the best solution for your particular need, not to pass judgement on how someone else operates (which may be best for them).