Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions – and How The World Lost its Mind
Inbunden, 304 sidor
På English
Publicerades 18 april 2024 av Profile Books Limited.
Part-biography, part-political thriller, The Unaccountability Machine is a rousing exposé of how management failures lead organisations to make catastrophic errors.
When we avoid taking a decision, what happens to it? In The Unaccountability Machine, Dan Davies examines why markets, institutions and even governments systematically generate outcomes that everyone involved claims not to want. He casts new light on the writing of Stafford Beer, a legendary economist who argued in the 1950s that we should regard organisations as artificial intelligences, capable of taking decisions that are distinct from the intentions of their members.
Management cybernetics was Beer's science of applying self-regulation in organisational settings, but it was largely ignored – with the result being the political and economic crises that that we see today. With his signature blend of cynicism and journalistic rigour, Davies looks at what's gone wrong, and what might have been, had the world listened …
Part-biography, part-political thriller, The Unaccountability Machine is a rousing exposé of how management failures lead organisations to make catastrophic errors.
When we avoid taking a decision, what happens to it? In The Unaccountability Machine, Dan Davies examines why markets, institutions and even governments systematically generate outcomes that everyone involved claims not to want. He casts new light on the writing of Stafford Beer, a legendary economist who argued in the 1950s that we should regard organisations as artificial intelligences, capable of taking decisions that are distinct from the intentions of their members.
Management cybernetics was Beer's science of applying self-regulation in organisational settings, but it was largely ignored – with the result being the political and economic crises that that we see today. With his signature blend of cynicism and journalistic rigour, Davies looks at what's gone wrong, and what might have been, had the world listened to Stafford Beer when it had the chance.
What up my Beerheads! This book is surprisingly funny, and very well written. I like how it asks interesting questions without making everything trivial and boring.
It's also absolutely frightening.
What up my Beerheads! This book is surprisingly funny, and very well written. I like how it asks interesting questions without making everything trivial and boring.
It's also absolutely frightening.
There's something human about wanting specifically someone be held accountable when disaster strikes. Yet, people with power to control said situation always seems to wander scot-free.
Introducing the concept of Accountability Sinks, when they are useful and how they're needed to make systems of the world able to work.
It also gives a brief overview of Cybernetics. Something I've not come across so far. As this is my first time even hearing about it, I couldn't understand the differences between systems 1 to 5, yet given enough examples I got a little closer.
Great read!
There's something human about wanting specifically someone be held accountable when disaster strikes. Yet, people with power to control said situation always seems to wander scot-free.
Introducing the concept of Accountability Sinks, when they are useful and how they're needed to make systems of the world able to work.
It also gives a brief overview of Cybernetics. Something I've not come across so far. As this is my first time even hearing about it, I couldn't understand the differences between systems 1 to 5, yet given enough examples I got a little closer.
Great read!
