The Character of Harms: Operational Challenges in Control

0521872103......Page 1
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Figures......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 9
Introduction......Page 11
Part I The nature of the control task......Page 35
1 Which way up, and does it matter?......Page 37
Four possible confusions......Page 46
One final illustration......Page 53
Notes......Page 54
2 A different type of work......Page 57
Functions......Page 58
Processes......Page 59
A different type of organizational behavior......Page 65
Why innovative?......Page 76
Notes......Page 79
3 Defining problems: setting the scale......Page 83
Setting the size, and picking the dimensions......Page 89
Narrowing the range......Page 93
The natural size and shape of the harms themselves......Page 95
Boundaries of jurisdiction and access to tools......Page 96
Tensions......Page 97
One caveat: The role of experimentation......Page 98
Notes......Page 100
4 Defining problems: picking the dimensions......Page 103
Notes......Page 109
5 Patterns of thought and action......Page 111
Notes......Page 130
6 Puzzles of measurement......Page 133
Proving causality?......Page 140
Assigning credit to functions......Page 144
Measuring prevention......Page 146
Long-term success......Page 153
Special classes of harm......Page 156
Notes......Page 157
7 Structures, protocols, and interactions......Page 159
Phase 1: “Shaking loose”......Page 160
Phase 3: Determine preferences among methods, and set a new balance......Page 161
Phase 4: Shift to a task focus......Page 163
Phase 5: Institutionalize the harm-mitigation approach......Page 164
The problem-solving protocol......Page 167
The managerial infrastructure......Page 170
The organizational interface with other forms of work......Page 172
Notes......Page 175
Part II: Special categories of harms......Page 179
(1) High-level harms......Page 185
(2) Slow-acting harms......Page 186
(3) Risk-control in a hostile environment......Page 187
Notes......Page 189
8 Invisible harms......Page 191
Terrorism: an odd case......Page 204
Consequences for control operations......Page 205
Notes......Page 207
9 Conscious opponents......Page 209
It confounds our normal reliance on probabilities......Page 214
The presence of conscious opposition affects the tools and methods that are relevant to the control task......Page 218
It affects the way problems are defined, and success is measured......Page 220
It affects the balance between competing values in harm control operations......Page 221
Notes......Page 224
10 Catastrophic harms......Page 227
Creating catastrophic risks, by virtue of partial controls......Page 231
Counteract the temptation to ignore the risk......Page 232
Define higher-volume, precursor conditions as opportunities for monitoring and goal-setting......Page 233
Construct formal, disciplined, warning systems......Page 235
Notes......Page 236
11 Harms in equilibrium......Page 241
Notes......Page 250
12 Performance-enhancing risks......Page 253
The general character of the problem......Page 254
Notes......Page 261
Conclusion......Page 265
Notes......Page 270
Index......Page 271