Managing the Unexpected - 3rd Edition by Karl E Weick & Kathleen M Sutcliffe (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Managing the Unexpected, Third Edition is a thoroughly revised text that offers an updated look at the groundbreaking ideas explored in the first and second editions. Revised to reflect events emblematic of the unique challenges that organizations have faced in recent years, including bank failures, intelligence failures, quality failures, and other organizational misfortunes, often sparked by organizational actions, this critical book focuses on why some organizations are better able to sustain high performance in the face of unanticipated change. High reliability organizations (HROs), including commercial aviation, emergency rooms, aircraft carrier flight operations, and firefighting units, are looked to as models of exceptional organizational preparedness. This essential text explains the development of unexpected events and guides you in improving your organization for more reliable performance.

"Expect the unexpected" is a popular mantra for a reason: it's rooted in experience. Since the dawn of civilization, organizations have been rocked by natural disasters, civil unrest, international conflict, and other unexpected crises that impact their ability to function. Understanding how to maintain function when catastrophe strikes is key to keeping your organization afloat.

• Explore the many different kinds of unexpected events that your organization may face
• Consider updated case studies and research
• Discuss how highly reliable organizations are able to maintain control during unexpected events
• Discover tactics that may bolster your organization's ability to face the unexpected with confidence

Managing the Unexpected, Third Edition offers updated, valuable content to professionals who want to strengthen the preparedness of their organizations--and confidently face unexpected challenges.

From the Back Cover

THE CLASSIC GUIDE FOR IMPROVING YOUR COMPANY'S ABILITY TO AVOID OR MANAGE CRISES

Floods, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, bank failures, recessions, and environmental disasters. Organizations are challenged with the unexpected on a routine basis. But why do some organizations manage to function in the face of unanticipated change while others fail?

Since it was first published in 2001, Managing the Unexpected has become the definitive resource that offers a guide for any organization that wants to maintain function and structure when confronted with the unexpected. Thoroughly revised, the third edition of the groundbreaking Managing the Unexpected contains new examples and updated information that reflect the catastrophic events that have challenged organizations in recent years, such as the financial crisis and bank failures and major environmental disasters.

Drawing on illustrative examples from high reliability organizations (HROs)-emergency rooms in hospitals, flight operations of aircraft carriers, and firefighting units-Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe reveal how these organizations developed the ways of acting and styles of learning that give them the confidence to manage the unexpected better than other organizations. This revised edition also offers an in-depth look at the five principles that lay the foundation for highly reliable organizations.

Filled with useful advice and compelling examples, the third edition of Managing the Unexpected offers any institution a guide for becoming an organization that is highly reliable and able to withstand unanticipated disruptions.

About the Author

KARL E. WEICK is the Rensis Likert Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at the University of Michigan. Weick received the Irwin Award and Best Article of the Year award from the Academy of Management. Fast Company's Senior Editor Keith Hammonds calls Weick "the smartest business thinker that you've never heard of."

KATHLEEN M. SUTCLIFFE is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Business and Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and the Gilbert and Ruth Whitaker Professor Emerita of Business Administration at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. She was named Researcher of the year and has served on a National Academy of Science panel to assess the resilience of the Department of Homeland Security.