Predictable surprises
Subtitle: the disasters you should have seen coming, and how to prevent them
By: Max H. Bazerman, Michael D. Watkins.
Series: Leadership for the common good
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Boston
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 317
Subjects: Management decision making; Forecasting; Business/Economics; Business & Economics; Business / Economics / Finance; Strategic Planning; Management - General; Decision Making & Problem Solving; Disasters; Emergency management; Prevention
First sentence: Were the earth-shattering events of September 11, 2001, predictable, or were they a surprise?
Description: "9/11 was preceded by a stream of warning signs in the years and months leading up to the disaster. Yet when the attacks occurred, leaders at every level were taken by surprise." "Predictable Surprises goes beyond simply assigning blame to explore why leaders so often miss or ignore impending disasters and what they can do to prevent them. Through detailed and riveting accounts of the events, missed signals, and ignored warnings leading up to 9/11, the fall of Enron, and other high-profile disasters, Bazerman and Watkins explain the cognitive, organizational, and political biases that make predictable surprises so common, and outline proactive steps leaders can take to overcome them."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-300) and index.
Table of contents: title: What is a predictable surprise? A preview; title: pt. 1. Prototypes of predictable surprises. September 11 : the costs of ignoring a predictable surprise; title: The collapse of Enron and the failure of auditor independence; title: pt. 2. Why don't we act on what we know? Cognitive roots : the role of human biases; title: Organizational roots : the role of institutional failures; title: Political roots : the role of special-interest groups; title: pt. 3. Preventing predictable surprises. Recognition : identifying emerging threats earlier; title: Prioritization : focusing on the right problems; title: Mobilization : building support for preventative action; title: Future predictable surprises.