Seeing what others don't

What enabled Harry Markopolos to put the finger on the master fraudster Bernie Madoff? - How did Dr Michael Gottlieb first detect and identify the AIDS epidemic among his patients. - How did a "smokejumper" recognize that setting another fire would save, rather than imperil, his life? - What did Admiral Yamamoto see in a 1940 British attack on the Italian fleet that enabled him to develop the strategy of attack at Pearl Harbor?

THE ANSWER, TO ALL FOUR QUESTIONS, IS INSIGHT.

Insights like these can change the world, but we also need insights into the everyday things that frustrate and confuse us, so we can more effectively solve problems, make decisions and get things done. Yet until now, we knew remarkably little about insight: how it works, and how we can develop it for ourselves.

A keen observer of people in their natural settings - from soldiers to scientists, police officers to business people - renowned cognitive psychologist Gary Klein uses a range of fascinating real-life stories to illuminate the nature of insight. Revealing how insight is impeded by an over-emphasis on error reduction, and "dumb by design" IT systems, he demonstrates how insight can be positively encouraged through employing five key strategies: noticing connections, coincidences and curiosities, investigating contradictions, and creating breakthrough solutions through the force of desperation.