Curated Content | Thought Leadership | Technology News

Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen

So often in life, we get stuck in a cycle of response. We put out fires. We deal with emergencies. We stay downstream, handling one problem after another, but we never make our way upstream to fix the systems that caused the problems. Cops chase robbers, doctors treat patients with chronic illnesses, and call-center reps address customer complaints. But many crimes, chronic illnesses, and customer complaints are preventable. So why do our efforts skew so heavily toward reaction rather than prevention?

Upstream probes the psychological forces that push us downstream—including “problem blindness,” which can leave us oblivious to serious problems in our midst. And Heath introduces us to the thinkers who have overcome these obstacles and scored massive victories by switching to an upstream mindset. One online travel website prevented twenty million customer service calls every year by making some simple tweaks to its booking system. A major urban school district cut its dropout rate in half after it figured out that it could predict which students would drop out—as early as the ninth grade. A European nation almost eliminated teenage alcohol and drug abuse by deliberately changing the nation’s culture. And one EMS system accelerated the emergency-response time of its ambulances by using data to predict where 911 calls would emerge—and forward-deploying its ambulances to stand by in those areas.

Upstream delivers practical solutions for preventing problems rather than reacting to them. How many problems in our lives and in society are we tolerating simply because we’ve forgotten that we can fix them?

0.0/5
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
×
You have free article(s) left this month courtesy of CIO Partners.

Enter your username and password to access premium features.

Don’t have an account? Join the community.

Would You Like To Save Articles?

Enter your username and password to access premium features.

Don’t have an account? Join the community.

Save My Spot For TNCR LIVE!

Thursday April 18th

9 AM Pacific / 11 PM Central / 12 PM Eastern

Register for Unlimited Access

Already a member?

Digital Monthly

$12.00/ month

Billed Monthly

Digital Annual

$10.00/ month

Billed Annually

Would You Like To Save Books?

Enter your username and password to access premium features.

Don’t have an account? Join the community.

Log In To Access Premium Features

Sign Up For A Free Account

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Name