Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights

A renowned cognitive psychologist reveals the science behind achieving breakthrough discoveries allowing readers to confidently solve problems improve decision-making and achieve success.Insights-like Darwin's understanding of the way evolution actually works and Watson and Crick's breakthrough discoveries about the structure of DNA-can change the world. Yet we know very little about when why or how insights are formed-or what blocks them. In Seeing What Others Don't Gary Klein unravels the mystery.Klein is a keen observer of people in their natural settings-scientists businesspeople firefighters police officers soldiers family members friends himself-and uses a marvelous variety of stories to illuminate his research into what insights are and how they happen. What for example enabled Harry Markopolos to put the finger on Bernie Madoff? How did Dr. Michael Gottlieb make the connections between different patients that allowed him to publish the first announcement of the AIDS epidemic? How did Martin Chalfie come up with a million-dollar idea (and a Nobel Prize) for a natural flashlight that enabled researchers to look inside living organisms to watch biological processes in action?Klein also dissects impediments to insight such as when organizations claim to value employee creativity and to encourage breakthroughs but in reality block disruptive ideas and prioritize avoidance of mistakes. Or when information technology systems are dumb by design and block potential discoveries. Both scientifically sophisticated and fun to read Seeing What Others Don't shows that insight is not just a eureka! moment but a whole new way of understanding.

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: PublicAffairs; Reprint edition (March 24 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1610393821

ISBN-13: 978-1610393829

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces