Unsafe Thinking

Humans are reassured by routine and habit. It is why we are prone to similarity bias: faced with a personal or professional challenge, we try to compare it to a previous situation and handle it with a pre-proven strategy.

The author argues that this tendency, however natural, is dangerous in a rapidly transforming world. According to him, it leads to us endlessly repeating the same processes, at the risk of providing solutions that are less than optimal, or even, in the worst case, of missing out on fundamental changes. Many companies, such as Kodak and Blockbuster, have paid the price. On the other hand, individuals and organizations that manage to boldly innovate and use creativity to overcome unprecedented difficulties are less reliant on what they have previously achieved. How do they manage to explore new approaches and resist the temptation to follow familiar paths? Jonah Sachs demonstrates that risk-taking, “out of the box” thinking and counter-intuitive solutions have nothing to do with chance. They can be nurtured by developing an appropriate culture. Relying on cognitive sciences and many examples, Unsafe Thinking shows how to go about it pragmatically.

A stimulating book, which prompts readers to a healthy self-examination of their working habits.