Predictable surprise

A "predictable surprise" describes a situation or circumstance in which avoidable crises are marginalized in order to satisfy economic and social policies.

Definition

Max H. Bazerman and Michael D. Watkins define "predictable surprises" as problems that

• at least some people are aware of,
• are getting worse over time, and
• are likely to explode into a crisis eventually,
• but are not prioritized by key decision-makers or have not elicited a response fast enough to prevent severe damage.

The problems behind "predictable surprises" tend to require a significant investment in the near term that will not pay off until later. This could involve changes to established organization culture and/or changes that competing interests do not benefit from.

Examples of predictable surprises

• Iraq War
• Enron scandal
• Subprime mortgage crisis^[1]
• Hurricane Katrina government response^[2]
• Global warming^[3]
• Roman Catholic sex abuse cases