This book comprises a set of stories about being an engineer for
many decades and the lessons the author learned from research and
practice. These lessons focus on people and organizations, often
enabled by technology. The settings range from airplanes, power
plants, and communication networks to ecosystems that enable
education, healthcare, and transportation. All of these settings
are laced with behavioral and social phenomena that need to be
understood and influenced. The author's work in these domains has
often led to the question: "Well, why does it work like that?" He
invariably sought to understand the bigger picture to find the
sources of requirements, constraints, norms, and values. He wanted
to understand what could be changed, albeit often with much effort
to overcome resistance. He found that higher levels of an ecosystem
often provide the resources and dictate the constraints imposed on
lower levels. These prescriptions are not just commands. They also
reflect values and cultural norms. Thus, the answers to the
question were not just technical and economic. Often, the answers
reflected eons of social and political priorities. The endeavors
related in the book frequently involved addressing emerging
realities rather than just the status quo. This book is an ongoing
discovery of these bigger pictures. The stories and the lessons
related in this book provide useful perspectives on change. The
understanding of people and organizations that emerges from these
lessons can help to enable transformative change. Fundamental
change is an intensely human-centric endeavor, not just for the
people and organizations aspiring to change, but also for the
people helping them. You will meet many of these people in this
book as the stories unfold. The genesis of this book originated in
a decision made early in the author's career. He had developed a
habit of asking at the end of each day, "What did I really
accomplish today?" This was sometimes frustrating as he was not
sure the day had yielded any significant accomplishments. One day
it dawned on him that this was the wrong question - He needed to
ask, "What did I learn today?" It is always possible to learn, most
recently about public health and climate change. In planning this
book, the author first thought in terms of accomplishments such as
projects conducted, systems built, and articles and books
published. He could not imagine this being interesting to readers.
Then, it struck him - It is much more interesting to report on what
he learned about people and organizations, including how he helped
them accomplish their goals. This is a book of stories about how
these lessons emerged. In planning this book, the author first
thought in terms of accomplishments such as projects conducted,
systems built, and articles and books published. He could not
imagine this being interesting to readers. Then, it struck him - It
is much more interesting to report on what he learned about people
and organizations, including how he helped them accomplish their
goals. This is a book of stories about how these lessons emerged.
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