ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the conditions under which failure and performance of coordinated human action may be systematically decoupled from each other so that failure may be an integral part of success or success may contribute to ultimate failure. Situational successful failure may occur in the form of damage control or rescue operations in the course of what is a substantially failing endeavor or in the form of tactical defeat taken into account for the sake of strategic success. Institutionalized successful failure may take the shape of placebo organizations that symbolize reasonable and purposeful action while, in reality, just signal that something is being done regardless of actual performance and effectiveness. Yet, it is stated, successful failure remains a precarious phenomenon and a tolerated by-product of coordinated human action at best. It may persist temporarily at a limited scale but is essentially unacceptable in any social setting based on reciprocity and trust. This is why failure that is intended or even institutionalized for the sake of ultimate success is deemed ethically questionable and, when occurring, concealed or denied.
