Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It

A Financial Times Business BOOK OF THE YEAR

AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE HORIZON POST OFFICE SCANDAL

''Endlessly fascinating, brimming with insight, and more fun than a book about failure has any right to be.'' - Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit

An accidental overdose in a state-of-the-art hospital.

The Starbucks publicity stunt that spectacularly backfired.

The mix-up at the 2017 Oscars ceremony.

As technology rapidly advances, it brings with it an explosion of complexity that can trip us up. Meltdown uses real-life examples to reveal how errors in thinking, perception, and design lie behind both our everyday mistakes and our most terrifying disasters. It reveals how a five-minute exercise can prevent billion-dollar catastrophes, why teams with fewer experts are better at managing risk, and why diversity is one of our best safeguards against failure. This eye-opening book will change the way you see our complex world - and your place within it.

''Essential reading'' Martin Ford, bestselling author of Rise of the Robots