What Baseball Teaches Us About Human Error

JD Solomon
1 day ago
4 min read

Baseball’s error-tracking offers a structured, non-blaming model for handling human error.

Baseball is the only major sport that formally charges errors. It defines errors, tracks them, and uses them to improve performance. That simple fact makes baseball one of the most useful analogies for understanding human error in technical work. Tracking human performance and human error are fundamental aspects of systems thinking and performing meaningful root cause analysis. Baseball treats human error as a measurable, rule‑based part of system performance. Most industries do not.

Nine Principles of Baseball Errors

The nine principles embedded in baseball’s scoring rules offer a practical framework for engineers, scientists, technologists, and medical professionals who want to understand human error without drifting into blame or ambiguity.

1. Assigning Errors Requires Written Criteria

Baseball’s Rule 9.12 defines what an error is and what it is not. The rule is explicit, detailed, and consistently applied. In technical fields, we often talk about human error without any shared definition. That leads to confusion, inconsistent investigations, and corrective actions that miss the mark. Written criteria are the foundation for fair evaluation and meaningful improvement.

2. Errors Are Based on Ordinary Performance

Baseball evaluates errors against what an “ordinary” player at that position should reasonably do. Not the best player. Not the worst. The standard is capability under normal conditions. Technical organizations often skip this step. Without a defined baseline for ordinary performance, teams cannot distinguish between reasonable variation and true error.

3. Errors Are Assigned to Individuals

In baseball, errors are charged to the fielder who made the misplay. The purpose is not punishment. It is clarity. When responsibility is unclear, learning is impossible. In technical environments, responsibility is often diffused across teams, departments, or systems. Clear attribution helps identify where improvement is needed, even when the root cause is systemic.

4. Errors Are Not Assigned to Equipment or Management Systems

A bad glove does not get charged with an error. A poor maintenance plan does not get charged either. Baseball separates human performance from equipment and management systems so each can be evaluated on its own terms. Technical organizations benefit from the same discipline. Equipment failures, procedural gaps, and human actions must be distinguished, not blended.

5. Errors Are Measured Relative to an External Outcome

For more than 100 years, baseball has annually revisited its rulebook, including how errors are charged.

In baseball, an error is defined by its effect on the opposing team’s progress. The external reference point keeps the evaluation objective. In technical work, human error should be tied to measurable impacts on safety, quality, reliability, or service. Without an external reference, error analysis becomes subjective and inconsistent.

6. Errors Do Not Include Intentional Violations

Baseball separates errors from deliberate rule‑breaking. Intentional acts fall under discipline, not error scoring. Technical organizations should make the same distinction. Human error is unintentional. Violations are choices. Mixing the two leads to mistrust and ineffective corrective actions.

7. Errors Are Not Used for Discipline

In baseball, an error is a statistic, not a punishment. The purpose is measurement and improvement. Many technical organizations still treat human error as a disciplinary trigger. That approach suppresses reporting and undermines learning. Treating errors as data, not as blame, creates a healthier, more effective culture.

8. Errors Adjust the Performance of Others

A fielder’s error affects the pitcher’s earned‑run average. Baseball recognizes that human error has ripple effects across the system. Technical work is no different. A single misstep can distort performance metrics for teams, assets, and processes. Understanding these interactions is essential for accurate performance evaluation.

9. Errors Are Metrics Used in Statistical Analysis

Baseball uses errors to analyze trends, compare players, and guide decisions. The data is structured, consistent, and transparent. Most technical fields lack comparable human‑error metrics. Without data, organizations cannot identify patterns, evaluate interventions, or improve system design.

Baseball, Errors, and System Performance

Baseball treats human error as a normal, measurable part of system performance. It defines it, tracks it, and uses it to improve the game. Technical organizations can do the same. The nine principles provide a practical framework for building clarity, reducing ambiguity, and improving both human and system performance. They are fundamental for systems thinking and performing root cause analysis.

Human error is not a moral failing. It is a predictable part of complex work. Baseball shows us how to treat it with structure, fairness, and purpose.

This article is taken from presentations by JD Solomon titled “How Baseball Teaches Us Everything We Need to Know About Human Error,” provided to organizations such as the Community for Human and Organizational Learning (CHOL), the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP).