Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril

By Margaret Heffernan

Book Overview

"With deft prose and page after page of keen insights, Heffernan shows why we close our eyes to facts that threaten our families, our livelihood, and our self-image--and, even better, she points the way out of the darkness." --Daniel H. Pink In the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell and Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Margaret Heffernan's Willful Blindness is a tour de force on human behavior that will open your eyes. Why, after every major accident and blunder, do we look back and say, How could we have been so blind? Why do some people see what others don't? And how can we change? Drawing on studies by psychologists and neuroscientists, and from interviews with business leaders, whistleblowers, and white collar criminals, distinguished businesswoman and writer Margaret Heffernan examines the phenomenon of willful blindness, exploring the reasons that individuals and groups are blind to impending personal tragedies, corporate collapses, engineering failures-even crimes against humanity. We turn a blind eye in order to feel safe, to avoid conflict, to reduce anxiety, and to protect prestige. But greater understanding leads to solutions, and Heffernan shows how-by challenging our biases, encouraging debate, discouraging conformity, and not backing away from difficult or complicated problems-we can be more mindful of what's going on around us and be proactive instead of reactive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802777961
• ISBN13: 9780802777966
• Release Date: July 2012
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Explaining our bias to blindness

Ms Heffernan presents many good insights to understand why we do not see the obvious. From AMOCO BP challenges to our failed corporate banking (deregulation) gaps. Insights are well referenced to other source readings, which may draw the reader further into understanding organizational behavior weaknesses.