American business culture is built around heroes that “save the day.” Perhaps bigger heroes, however, are those unheralded ones who quietly prevent problems from happening in the first place. To do so does not just require seeing a problem and a solution; it requires identifying the root cause and a solution to that root cause. It demands going “upstream” to deal with the issues that cause downstream issues. Dan Heath contends that few organizations and few individuals engage in this behavior enough.
This book suggests that more people should devote more time towards understanding a system’s behavior. Solutions are not found by “tunneling” – that is, developing “tunnel vision” by focusing on one’s work. Rather, lasting solutions are found by zooming out and looking at the big picture in order to craft an ultimate solution. Heath provides examples of this phenomenon from dozens of industries. For example, he details how simulations predicted Hurricane Katrina and how ensuing interventions lessened its horrific impact.
Many business workers, across many industries, only focus on doing their job well. That aspect is important, but it forms only a part of the picture. Integrating with the wider team and enterprise is also a crucial step that few take. We have to lurch out of our silos and into others’ work. This book can show us the specifics of how. Preventing problems, though it wins less popular points, can improve the long-term prospects of an organization and a society. To implement change, he discusses how to overcome common obstacles that individuals encounter after identifying the systemic problem.
This book contributes to a growing literature involved in systems thinking. It is written with a general audience in mind and is most geared towards those involved in business work. Its potential audience also encompasses individuals looking to better the format of their lives. Some fields, like medicine with preventative care, have already awakened to dealing with systemic issues. Nonetheless, they require organizational reforms at the macro level to enact lasting solutions. This book can show them what that looks like.
Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen
By Dan Heath
Narrated by Dan Heath
Copyright (c) 2020
Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN B07WLR61FQ
Length: 7:47
Genre: Business
www.amazon.com