Will Your Next Mistake Be Fatal?
When a business fails, a plane crashes, or some other catastrophic event occurs it is rarely the result of a single mistake. Instead it is the result of a chain of mistakes each of which just compounds the prior ones until the final catastrophe. In this book the author examines how these chains of events start and how the culture, habits, assumptions, and other factors combine to move it to its final conclusion. Mr. Mittelstaedt examines several specific catastrophic events and from each one draws insights that can be used for better management and to prevent falling into a similar chain of events. Specific situations examined include Coca-Cola's formula change, American Express's Optima card, Webvan, Intel, Tylenol, Kodak, Xerox, Three Mile Island, Firestone, Enron, and problems of the small business. After a thorough examination of these specific incidents the last chapter brings it all into focus by pointing out how to apply everything learned in the prior chapters. Probably the most important contribution of the book is in teaching how to evaluate and believe the early warnings and how to detect dangerous patterns and strategic blunders. An entertaining read that is insightful and critically important for business owners to understand, Will Your Next Mistake Be Fatal? is highly recommended.
Authors: Robert E. Mittelstaedt, Jr.
Publisher: Wharton School Publishing
Pearson Education, Inc.
One Lake Street
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
Copyright: 2005
ISBN: 0131913646
Pages: 287 plus aftermatter and index