Review
Interesting, unpredictable, and thought-provoking ... If you have ever worked in an organisation, let alone a large or badly managed one, you will have moments of recognition in reading this, a sense that [Stafford] Beer has rigorously theorised what you encounter every day ― The Critic
Drawing on the work of economist Stafford Beer, Davies explores why big systems often make flawed decisions or duck out of them altogether - and the damaging consequences that can follow. ― Spear's Magazine
Funny, fascinating and compelling - this is a book to make you chuckle, to make you angry, and above all to make you think -- Tim Harford, author ― The Undercover Economist
One of the most insightful books I've read in a long time -- Sam Freedman
Davies explains the basic logic of an accountability sink: decision-making power is removed from individuals you might want to shout at, and made instead by an algorithm or some distant committee both ignorant of and immune to your objections -- Tim Harford ― Financial Times
Everybody wonders why nobody is ever to blame for a crisis. Diving into cybernetics, economics and management, Dan Davies explains why it's always the fault of the system not the people, how this lack of accountability has come about - and even what to do about it -- Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge
Really worthwhile. Dan Davies' concept of accountability sinks is a great example of what Edwin Schlossberg meant when he noted that "The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think -- Tim O'Reilly, author ― WTF: What's the Future and Why It's Up to Us
An extraordinary book ... we all blame 'The System' for numerous woes, but what is The System? Dan Davies' immensely readable book tells us how there actually isn't one - it's far far weirder than that. I have come away a wiser man -- Patrick Alley, author ― Very Bad People
There's never been a better rebuttal of the neoliberal assumption that clever systems can run themselves without continuous human engagement and oversight. This book shows that humane results need human inputs: science will help us, but we have to help it too. There's no such thing as a free hunch -- Brian Eno
It is always rewarding to learn how things work, and The Unaccountability Machine lucidly shows the inner workings of corporate life and its systematic -- Laleh Khalili, author ― Sinews of War and Trade
Mischievous and fiercely intelligent -- Ed Smith, 'Books of the Year' ― New Statesman
The Unaccountability Machine offers a timely reminder: the machines we fear most are the ones we've already built ... It is a great book because it sheds light on one of the most pressing issues of our time: why big systems make terrible decisions ... an essential read for those looking to understand the complexities of modern decision-making ... It should be read by anyone concerned with the direction in which our world is headed, offering both a stark warning and a glimmer of hope for a more accountable future. -- J. Bradford DeLong
The most hope-inducing, game-changing book I've read recently ... The kind of book from which you look up to find the world suddenly more comprehensible. Also, it's about ten times funnier than any book about management has the right to be -- Francis Spufford ― Guardian, 'Books for a Better World'
Quirky and very intelligent ... The Unaccountability Machine explores how organisations get into the bizarre but common situation of acting in line with "process" but against all logic ... Davies is a surprising and provocative guide to an obvious societal problem that does not have an obvious fix -- Ed Smith ― New Statesman
Wonderful ... fascinating ... tackles very contemporary problems by reviving the discipline of cybernetics and the work of Stafford Beer, with passing discursions involving squirrels, Brian Eno, Milton Friedman and a well-deserved kicking delivered to the discipline of modern economics. -- Rory Sutherland ― Spectator
A clear and compelling account of how decision-making works, or rather doesn't, in the twenty-first century. It will make you look at the world differently -- Stephen Bush
Entertaining, insightful ... Dan Davies makes a compelling case for the use of Stafford beer's management cybernetics ... with The Unaccountability Machine, he provides an elegant new introduction to this intriguing road-not-taken in postwar social science, and makes a compelling case that in the age of AI its time has finally come -- Felix Martin ― Financial Times
Not just a glorious tour of a neglected piece of intellectual history, though it is that, in passing. Really, a demonstration with unexpected tools that the world since the 1970s, far from being governed by steely economic rationality, has actually been in the grip of an ideologised greed that has systematically undermined our ability to manage and organise -- Francis Spufford, author ― Cahokia Jazz
From the Back Cover
When we avoid taking a decision, what happens to it? In The Unaccountability Machine, Dan Davies examines why markets, institutions and even governments systematically generate outcomes that everyone involved claims not to want. He casts new light on the writing of Stafford Beer, a legendary economist who argued in the 1950s that we should regard organisations as artificial intelligences, capable of taking decisions that are distinct from the intentions of their members.
Management cybernetics was Beer's science of applying self-regulation in organisational settings, but it was largely ignored - with the result being the political and economic crises that that we see today. With his signature blend of cynicism and journalistic rigour, Davies looks at what's gone wrong, and what might have been, had the world listened to Stafford Beer when it had the chance.
'A corporation, or a government department isn't a conscious being, but it is an artificial intelligence. It has the capability to take decisions which are completely distinct from the intentions of any of the people who compose it. And under stressful conditions, it can go stark raving mad.'
About the Author
Dan Davies is a former regulatory economist at the Bank of England and an analyst for several investment banks. He is the author of Lying for Money and has written for publications including the Financial Times and The New Yorker.
Knowing a great deal of detail about a subset of a system has a habit of increasing your confidence in your opinions disproportionately from their reliability.Highlighted by 294 Kindle readers
