Things go wrong - crap happens. This book attempts to show why this is inevitable. The author uses computer simulations to measure the performance of test subjects in problem-solving situations. He finds that people do things that lead to failure in predictable patterns - we focus on just one static element in a dynamic system that is often quite complex; we apply corrective measures in the wrong way; and we ignore basic assumptions, overgeneralize, lose focus by pursuing blind alleys, overlook side effects, and predict the future from those aspects of the present that either bother or delight us the most.
Dorner identifies four patterns that account for the frequency of our failures:
Intolerance for how long problem-solving takes - We streamline the process thinking that will save time and energy, even though it often does not.
Our desire to be competent and admired for our problem-solving abilities - We think we can do this, ignoring risks that we may not.
The difficulty of acquiring and analyzing copious amounts of information - we prefer to use predominate mental models, which may not at all relate to a dynamic, ever-changing situation.
Our tendency to focus on an immediate crisis, while ignoring the problems our solutions may create, or the longer-term but more critical issues that will hit us later.
The insights in this book - revealed through experimentation, rather than a potentially distorted recollection of events leading up to problems, are important in understanding and tackling failures in our designs, our projects, and our institutions.