Who Rules America?: Power, Politics, and Social Change
Author: G William Domhoff
This text is an invaluable tool for teaching students about how power operates in U.S. society. Its author argues that the owners and top-level managers in large income-producing properties are far and away the dominant figures in the U.S. Their corporations, banks, and agribusinesses dominate the federal government in Washington, while their real estate, construction, and land development companies dominate most local governments. By providing empirical evidence for his argument, William C. Domhoff encourages students to think critically about the power structure in American society and its implications for our democracy.
Interesting book: Cooking with Edible Flowers or Making Beautiful Christmas Cakes
Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming, and How to Prevent Them
Author: Max H Bazerman
You and Your Organization Are at Risk
Were the earth-shattering events of September 11, 2001, predictable, or were they a surprise? What about the collapse of Enron in bankruptcy and scandal? Max H. Bazerman and Michael D. Watkins argue that they were actually "predictable surprises"-disastrous examples of the failure to recognize potential tragedies and actively work to prevent them. Disturbingly, this dangerous phenomenon has its roots in universal human and organizational tendencies that leave no individual or company immune.
In this riveting book, Bazerman and Watkins, leading experts in managerial decision making, show that many disasters are preceded by clear warning signals that leaders either miss-or purposely ignore. They explain the cognitive, organizational, and political biases that make predictable surprises so common in business and society, and outline six danger signals that suggest a predictable surprise may be imminent. They also provide a systematic framework that leaders can use to recognize and prioritize brewing disasters and mobilize their organizations to prevent them.
Filled with vivid accounts of predictable surprises in business and society across public and private sectors, this book highlights a phenomenon that holds grave consequences-and challenges leaders to find the courage to act before it's too late.
A Leadership for the Common Good book
Published in partnership with the Center for Public Leadership
Author Biography:
Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Michael D. Watkins is an Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets unit at Harvard Business
1 December, 2004 - Financial Times
"[S]ubstantial...leaving the reader no excuse not to deal with all those foreseeable, predictable, avoidable surprises."
Soundview Executive Book Summaries
According to Harvard Business Professor Max H. Bazerman and strategy consultant Michael D. Watkins, "predictable surprises" are events that catch leaders off guard even though they had all the information necessary to anticipate them, and write that they represent a pervasive failure of leadership that holds grave consequences. In Predictable Surprises, the authors identify six danger signals and describe a prescriptive framework that aims to help leaders respond quickly and effectively to prevent disasters. Copyright © 2005 Soundview Executive Book Summaries
Table of Contents:
1 What is a Predictable Surprise?: A Preview 1
Pt. I Prototypes of Predictable Surprises 13
2 September 11: The Costs of Ignoring a Predictable Surprise 15
3 The Collapse of Enron and the Failure of Auditor Independence 43
Pt. II Why Don't We Act on What We Know? 69
4 Cognitive Roots: The Role of Human Biases 71
5 Organizational Roots: The Role of Institutional Failures 95
6 Political Roots: The Role of Special-Interest Groups 121
Pt. III Preventing Predictable Surprises 153
7 Recognition: Identifying Emerging Threats Earlier 157
8 Prioritization: Focusing on the Right Problems 179
9 Mobilization: Building Support for Preventative Action 203
10 Future Predictable Surprises 225
Appendix A General Accounting Office Reports Warning of Aviation Security Weaknesses, 1994-2001 259
Appendix B Ten Elements of an Effective Crisis-Response Plan 263
Notes 267
Further Reading 301
Index 303
About the Authors 319
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