Wilful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious

New
Paperback
2019
$10.62

Why, after every major accident and blunder, do we look back and ask, how could we have been so blind? Why do some people see what others don't? And how can we change? Drawing on studies by psychologists and neuroscientists, and from interviews with business leaders, whistleblowers and white collar criminals, distinguished businesswoman and writer Margaret Heffernan examines the phenomenon of wilfulblindness, exploring the reasons that individuals and groups are blind to impending personal tragedies, corporate collapses, engineering failures - even crimes against humanity.
We turn a blind eye in order to feel safe, to avoid conflict, to reduce anxiety and to protect prestige. It makes us feel good at first, with consequences we don't see. But greater understanding leads to solutions, and Heffernan shows how - by challenging our biases, encouraging debate, discouraging conformity, and not backing away from difficult or complicated problems - we can be more mindful of what's going on around us and be proactive instead of reactive.
`Entertaining and compellingly argued' Sunday Times
`A tour de force of brilliant insights' Philip Zimbardo
`Heffernan presents a readable analysis of the way powerful and intelligent people deliberately set aside crucial facts and turn a blind eye to fatal errors and frauds. A polemic against the dangers of docility and groupthink in every walk of life, it was another finalist for Business Book of the Year' - Books of the Year, Financial Times

`Writing in clear, flowing prose, Heffernan draws on psychological and neurological studies and interviews with executives, whistleblowers and white-collar criminals' - New York Times

'An engaging read, packed with cautionary tales...Heffernan shows why we close our eyes to facts that threaten our families, our livelihood, and our self-image - and, even better, she points the way out of the darkness' --Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

Synopsis

Why, after every major accident and blunder, do we look back and ask, how could we have been so blind? Why do some people see what others don't? And how can we change? Drawing on studies by psychologists and neuroscientists, and from interviews with business leaders, whistleblowers and white collar criminals, distinguished businesswoman and writer Margaret Heffernan examines the phenomenon of wilfulblindness, exploring the reasons that individuals and groups are blind to impending personal tragedies, corporate collapses, engineering failures - even crimes against humanity.

We turn a blind eye in order to feel safe, to avoid conflict, to reduce anxiety and to protect prestige. It makes us feel good at first, with consequences we don't see. But greater understanding leads to solutions, and Heffernan shows how - by challenging our biases, encouraging debate, discouraging conformity, and not backing away from difficult or complicated problems - we can be more mindful of what's going on around us and be proactive instead of reactive.

`Entertaining and compellingly argued' Sunday Times

`A tour de force of brilliant insights' Philip Zimbardo

`Heffernan presents a readable analysis of the way powerful and intelligent people deliberately set aside crucial facts and turn a blind eye to fatal errors and frauds. A polemic against the dangers of docility and groupthink in every walk of life, it was another finalist for Business Book of the Year' - Books of the Year, Financial Times

`Writing in clear, flowing prose, Heffernan draws on psychological and neurological studies and interviews with executives, whistleblowers and white-collar criminals' - New York Times

'An engaging read, packed with cautionary tales...Heffernan shows why we close our eyes to facts that threaten our families, our livelihood, and our self-image - and, even better, she points the way out of the darkness' --Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

$10.62

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
Edition: Reissue
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 04 Apr 2019
ISBN 10: 1471180808
ISBN 13: 9781471180804

Media Reviews

'Heffernan presents a readable analysis of the way powerful and intelligent people deliberately set aside crucial facts and turn a blind eye to fatal errors and frauds. A polemic against the dangers of docility and groupthink in every walk of life, it was another finalist for Business Book of the Year.' -- Books of the Year * Financial Times *
'Writing in clear, flowing prose, (Heffernan) draws on psychological and neurological studies and interviews with executives, whistleblowers and white-collar criminals...the book made me think long and hard about how the pace and priorities of our daily lives can hinder our ability to live as decently and as truthfully as we can.' * New York Times *
'An engaging read, packed with cautionary tales...Heffernan shows why we close our eyes to facts that threaten our families, our livelihood, and our self-image - and, even better, she points the way out of the darkness.' -- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind
'Willful Blindness is a remarkable book...It is a tour de force of brilliant insights, broad span applications and written in the most engaging style.' -- Philip Zimbardo
'Uniquely broad in scope, insightfully analyzed, and engagingly written. This in-depth look at willful blindness is an excellent read.' -- Albert Bandura
'Entertaining and compellingly argued book.' * Sunday Times Supplement *
'Heffernan's cogent, riveting look at how we behave at our worst encourages us to strive for our best.' * US Publishers' Weekly *

Author Bio

MARGARET HEFFERNAN was born in Texas, raised in Holland and educated at Cambridge University. She worked in BBC Radio as a television producer, before leaving to run the trade association IPPA. She returned to the US where she worked on public affair campaigns and with software companies trying to break into multimedia. She then joined CMGI where she ran, bought and sold leading Internet businesses. She is a visiting professor and Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Bath. She is the author of The Naked Truth and How She Does It, and Wilful Blindness. She writes a regular column for Real Business and the Huffington Post.