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Why People and Organizations Break Down

In: The Crisis-Prone Society: A Brief Guide to Managing the Beliefs that Drive Risk in Business

Author

Listed:
  • Ian I Mitroff

    (University of California)

  • Can M. Alpaslan

    (California State University)

Abstract

One of the most difficult tasks facing humans is to become aware of and challenge their key operating assumptions before a major crisis has occurred. The only way to do this is to study a wide variety of crises both within and outside of one’s industry. In addition, one must continually study and review the assumptions under which one’s organization and technology operate. In this chapter, we focus on several operating assumptions that lead to technological and organizational breakdowns. We investigate why the reliance on technology is not always a good idea, why training is not enough, why organizational culture matters, why organizations mistake the absence of accidents for the presence of safe operations, and why organizations constantly drift away from safety into failure.

Suggested Citation

  • Ian I Mitroff & Can M. Alpaslan, 2014. "Why People and Organizations Break Down," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Crisis-Prone Society: A Brief Guide to Managing the Beliefs that Drive Risk in Business, chapter 4, pages 29-38, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-45483-6_4
    DOI: 10.1057/9781137454836_4
    as

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