The writer Chris Clearfield discusses the book he co-wrote with András Tilcsik, Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It (Penguin, 2018), with Joseph Planta.

Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It by Chris Clearfield (Penguin, 2018). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Meltdown

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

Whether it’s a system failure of a major transit system, or the opening of a wrong envelope at the Oscars, or even a holiday meal overcooked, we wonder as to how established, complicated systems fail. These are some of the examples found in a fascinating book. I discuss it now with one of its authors, Chris Clearfield. He has written with András Tilcsik, Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It. It takes social science research and offers riveting stories that take us to various situations when complicated systems made to simplify work and our lives, fail and cause chaos, even at times risk to safety and in some instances, death. There are many examples in the book from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, to the Volkswagen scandal. I asked Mr. Clearfield about the paradox of progress, as well whether we can simply go back to before when things were seemingly simple. He offers great examples as to how to improve organisations, like encouraging dissent and valuing diversity. Chris Clearfield is a former derivatives trader, a licensed commercial pilot, and a graduate of Harvard University, where he first met his co-author. He has written on complexity and failure for The Guardian, Forbes and the Harvard Kennedy School of Review. This book is published by Penguin. Visit www.rethinkrisk.net for more. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Chris Clearfield; Mr. Clearfield, good morning.

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