MARS - George Mason University

information despite the fact that they were at the same bank or shared an area of
expertise.
Regarding the decision to invade Iraq and the extended execution of the war,
information was deliberately withheld by the key parties from each other
(Ricks)(Woodward). No one was proactively looking at the big picture and taking
responsibility for making the components work together. Assessing the difficulties of the
war and the banking industry, it is clear that leadership will be most successful when
they: 1) are surrounded by people who tell them the truth, 2) create a culture of dissent,
and 3) require key figures to be accountable to share information vertically and
horizontally.
Accident and disaster theory indicate that disasters may flow from very ordinary,
often predictable events. Or they may flow from a sense of an exclusive identity,
structure, or turf. Institutions may have a structure and culture that undercut strategic
communications necessary to assess and reveal risk. Organizations can re-structure
processes, meetings, physical configurations, and meeting places and add a new job
category to facilitate collaboration. Potential disasters have error-inducing precursors
that require attention to nuance and a culture of vigilance.
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