Index

A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.

• Accountable Care Organization (ACO), 201–2, 204
• ACT scores, 167, 168
• air pollution, 15, 111–12, 113, 186
• airports, 124, 125
• alarms, 145–46
• alcohol, 8, 71, 75–81, 125, 231, 239
  • violence and, 117, 121
• Aledade, 202
• alien life, 226–27
• Allensworth, Elaine, 24, 27, 167
• All in the Family, 68
• ambulances, 137–40, 142, 162
• American Health Care Paradox, The (Bradley and Taylor), 12
• American Heart Association, 142
• Ander, Roseanna, 116
• Anderson, Ray, 39–40, 48–54
• Andromeda Strain, The (Crichton), 227
• anger management, 119–20
• Angie’s List, 200
• ANGI Homeservices, 200
• Animal Liberation (Singer), 174n
• AP (advanced placement) courses, 167, 168
• Apollo mission, 226–28
• Archimedes, 115
• astrobiology, 227, 231
• Athey, Susan, 159–60
• Atlantic, 35, 147
• Atlantis, 207–8, 225
• ATM machines, 210, 211
• Auerbach, John, 191

• Baden-Powell, Robert, 243
• Baez, Ritchie, 164–65
• Baltimore, Md., 97, 98
• bandwidth, 58–60
• banks, 210
• baseball, 153–54
• Batalden, Paul, 23
• Becoming a Man (BAM), 117–23, 249, 250
• Bedson, Henry, 16n
• Beriwal, Madhu, 213–18
• Bernstein, Ethan, 178
• Best, Charles, 108
• Bevan, Gwyn, 161
• Beyers, Matt, 98
• Bible, 161, 162
• bicycles, 104–5
• Bisognano, Maureen, 234
• black ball idea, 224
• Blanco, Kathleen, 219
• Block, Robert, 214–15, 220
• Bohan, Suzanne, 98
• Borem, Paulo, 36–37
• Boston, Mass., 155–59, 161
• Boston Globe, 156
• Bostrom, Nick, 223–26
• Bradley, Elizabeth, 12
• brain, 64, 158
• Brazil, 33–37
• Brown, Helen Gurley, 31
• Brown, Michael L., 215
• Building Healthy Communities (BHC), 110–13
• Built for Zero, 94–95
• bullying, 148
• burglary, 7–9
• buses, 112
• Bush, George W., 147
• by-name methodology, 236–37
• Byrne, Liz, 231

• California Endowment, 110, 112
• Calvin, Melvin, 227
• Campbell, Jacquelyn, 84–86
• cancer, 143–44
  • thyroid, 143–45
• cardiac emergencies, 138–40, 142
• Carlier, Taco, 105
• carpet, 39–40, 48–52, 54
• cars, 33, 192, 224
  • air pollution and, 15
  • selling, 181–82
• car safety and accidents, 6, 16, 103–4
  • children and, 44–47, 237
• cats, on Macquarie Island, 172–74, 176
• CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), 120, 126
• CDC, 103
• Celedon, Sandra, 111–14
• Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), 240–41
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 192, 240–43
• Charles, Seymour, 44, 45
• chest CT scans, 29–30
• Chicago, Ill.:
  • crime in, 116–17, 120–24, 126
  • plastic bags in, 186–88
• Chicago Public Schools (CPS), 23–29, 42, 63, 88–89, 109, 137, 160, 167–68, 231, 236, 239
• Chicken Little problem, 207–28
• childbirth, 13, 128, 196
  • C-section, 33–38
• Child Passenger Protection Act, 46
• children, 64, 105
  • abuse of, 195
  • car safety and, 44–47, 237
  • day care for, 13, 195
  • Nurse-Family Partnership and, 194–99, 237–38
  • playground injuries and, 175
• Chile, 81
• chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), 66, 68, 69–70
• Choe, Katie, 155–58, 161
• churn rate, 135–37, 145
• ClaimStat, 175, 184
• Clark, A. Arnold, 189–90, 191
• Cleveland, Ohio, 98–100
• Click Here to Kill Everybody (Schneier), 226
• climate change, 65, 111–12, 186
• Clinton, Bill, 208
• cloud computing, 141
• CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), 192, 240–43
• cobra effect, 177–79, 186, 187
• cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), 120, 126
• Cold War, 227
• complexity, 9, 185, 187
• CompStat, 162–65, 168, 175
• computers and internet, 226
  • cloud computing, 141
  • email marketing campaigns, 159–60
  • hacking, 223
  • phishing emails, 220–22
• Computerworld, 142
• Conley, Catharine, 228
• conservationists, 171–74, 176, 184
• contraflow, 218–19
• Conway, Patrick, 192, 241–43
• Cooper, Christopher, 214–15, 220
• Corgan, 124
• Cosmopolitan, 31
• costs and benefits, in leverage, 127
• costs and funding, 189–204
• CPR, 142
• Crichton, Michael, 227
• crime, 5–6, 8–9, 236
  • burglary, 7–9
  • in Chicago, 116–17, 120–24, 126
  • CompStat and, 162–65, 168
  • downgrading of, 164–66
  • focusing on victims and perpetrators in, 126n
  • gangs, 116, 117
  • homicide, 83–85, 87, 88, 116–17, 121, 126, 162
  • nationwide reduction in, 154, 161, 162
  • in New York City, 162–66
  • Nurse-Family Partnership and, 196
  • University of Chicago Crime Lab, 116–17, 120–24, 126, 154, 236, 250
  • violent, 116, 118, 121, 123, 124, 126
• C-sections, 33–38
• CT scans, 29–30

• Daddy Dolls, 229–31, 233
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, 125
• Darnell, Nikki, 230
• data, 88–90, 94–95
  • early warnings and, 139
  • for learning vs. inspection, 89, 90, 163, 238
  • police and, 122n, 162–63
• Davis, Sean, 70
• day care, 13, 195
• deadlines, 62–63, 67
• Defense Department, 211
• defiling the mission, 161, 162, 166, 169
• Delage, Deborah, 33–35, 38
• Delgado, Pedro, 37
• Deloitte & Touche, 212
• diabetes, 192, 201–4
  • Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), 240–41
• Diniz, Simone, 35
• Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security (Cooper and Block), 214–15, 220
• disasters and disaster preparedness, 9–10, 213–14, 222–23
  • contraflow and, 218–19
  • earthquakes, 9–10, 140
  • Hurricane Ivan, 218–19
  • Hurricane Katrina, 213–20
  • Hurricane Pam simulation, 214–20
• distant and improbable threats, 17, 207–28
• DNA printers, 225, 226
• doctors:
  • Accountable Care Organization and, 201–2, 204
  • payment models for, 129
  • pediatricians, and automobile safety, 44–47
  • and social side of medicine, 132
  • training of, 130
  • see also health, health care
• domestic violence, 82–89, 236
  • Domestic Violence High Risk Team, 86, 239
• DonorsChoose, 107–8
• downstream actions (reaction), 3–10
  • bias toward, instead of prevention, 5–6, 9–10, 17
  • cycle of, 62
  • drowning parable and, 1, 7
  • interplay between upstream actions and, 7
  • as narrow and fast, 9, 234
  • as necessary, 41
  • success in, 153
  • tangibility in, 6, 9, 153
• Drew, Trafton, 29
• drowning, 6–7
• drowning parable, 1, 7
• drug abuse, 8, 71, 75–81, 125, 149, 154, 239
• Drug-free Iceland, 76–77, 125
• Duncan, Sarah, 25, 26
• Dunne, Kelly, 82–87
• DuPont, 69
• Dyal, Tricia, 229–31

• early warnings, 135–51
• earthquakes, 9–10
  • in Japan, 140
• East Bay Times, 98
• Easton, John, 24
• Ebola, 10
• Ecology of Commerce, The (Hawken), 40, 48, 51
• ecosystems, 171–74, 176, 184
• education, see schools
• Effron, Daniel, 42–43
• Eggertsson, Dagur, 75
• elderly, 131, 132
  • public spaces and, 124–25
• elevators, 141–42, 145
• Elliott, Marcus, 21–22
• email:
  • marketing campaigns, 159–60
  • phishing, 220–22
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS), 137–40
• emergency rooms, 126–37, 161–61
• endangered species, 176
• environmental issues:
  • air pollution, 15, 111–12, 113, 186
  • climate change, 65, 111–12, 186
  • ozone layer, 65–70
  • plastic bags, 185–88
  • recycling, 186
  • sustainability, 39–40, 48–52, 54, 185
  • water pollution, 186
• Equal Justice Initiative, 133
• Estonia, 81
• Evan, 147–48
• Expedia, 1–4, 42, 63, 82, 89–90, 231, 239
• exterminators, 199
• eye drops, 57

• false positives, 145, 146, 150
• Farley, Lin, 31–32
• Fast Company, 49
• fast-food restaurants, 104
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 213–14,220
• Federal Reserve, 210
• feedback, 179–85
• financial decisions, 59–60
• fire departments, 138–39
• fishermen, 51–52
• Flores, Samantha, 124–25
• fluoride, 103
• focus, 5, 30, 63–64, 67
• food assistance, 107–8, 128, 129
  • Food Farmacy, 203–4
  • SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), 197
• football, 21–23, 29
• Forbes, 118
• Ford Motor Company, 159
• Forrest, Jeannie, 41, 53–54
• Fortune, 133
• Fortune 500 companies, 178
• Freakonomics, 177
• Freshman On-Track (FOT), 24–26, 28, 88, 160
• Freshman Success Teams, 27, 63
• Fresno, Calif., 110–13
• Frum, David, 147
• Fuller, Buckminster, 179
• funding and costs, 189–204
• Future of Humanity Institute, 226
• Fynboh, Paula, 149

• gaming the system, 162–67
  • pre-gaming and, 168–69
• Gaudette, Doug, 87
• Geiger Crisis Center, 83, 84n, 85
• Geisinger Health System, 203–4
• Gerson, David, 50–51
• ghost victories, 153–69, 204
• Gilbert, Daniel, 64, 65
• Gimlet Media, 163
• Giunta-Cotter, Dorothy, 83, 84n
• Gladstone, Brooke, 31
• Globe and Mail, 212
• goats, 176–77, 180
• Gold, Scott, 216–17
• Greer, Alex, 140
• Grove, Andy, 168, 203
• Grunden, Jody, 183
• Guardian, 146
• guns, 117, 121, 126, 149, 224

• habituation, 30–31, 32
• Hackbarth, Andy, 180
• Hackensack Meridien Health, 128–29, 133
• Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, 130–33
• Haldane, J. B. S., 227
• Hawken, Paul, 40, 48, 51
• Hazleton Middle School, 149, 150
• health, health care, 10–14, 89, 113, 127–33, 189–92, 201–4
  • Accountable Care Organization, 201–2, 204
  • ambulances, 137–40, 142, 162
  • Building Healthy Communities, 110–13
  • cancer and, see cancer
  • capitation payment model in, 203
  • C-sections, 33–38
  • doctor training and, 130
  • diabetes and, 192, 201–4, 240–41
  • domestic violence and, 83–86, 88
  • Emergency Medical Services, 137–40
  • emergency rooms, 126–37, 161–62
  • fee-for-service model in, 129, 192
  • hospital deaths, 124
  • infectious diseases, 191–92
  • intensive care, 145–46
  • life expectancy, 98–102, 113–14, 190–91
  • mastectomies, 180–81
  • Medicaid, 180, 196, 240
  • Medicare, 113, 180, 201, 240
  • MRI scans, 192, 203
  • Nurse-Family Partnership, 194–99, 237–38
  • nursing homes, see nursing homes
  • prevention in, 189–92
  • and saving money, 127
  • social determinants of health, 128
  • social side of medicine, 132
  • vaccines, see vaccines
• Health Initiative, The, 11
• heart attacks, 138–40, 142
• Hendrix, Daniel, 48, 50
• hepatitis, 187
• Here & Now, 124–25
• Herndon, Sally, 234–35
• heroism, 62–63, 182, 243–44
• Hockley, Dylan, 151
• Hockley, Jake, 150–51
• Hockley, Nicole, 146–47, 150–51
• Hodel, Donald, 69–70
• Holmes, Nick, 176–77
• HomeAdvisor, 200–201
• homelessness, 10, 16, 90–96, 108, 128, 208, 234, 236, 239
  • coordinated entry and, 92–93
  • evictions and, 96, 108, 234
  • functional zero and, 95
  • housing first and, 92
• home service industry, 200–201
• homicide, 83–85, 87, 88, 116–17, 121, 126, 162, 236
• Homonoff, Tatiana, 187
• Hood, Christopher, 161
• horses, 32–33
• hospitals, 201
  • deaths at, 124
  • Emergency Medical Services, 137–40
  • emergency rooms, 126–37, 161–62
  • intensive care units, 145–46
  • see also health, health care
• “hot tub” conversations, 233
• household repairs, 199–200
• HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development), 91–93
• Hug-a-Hero Dolls, 229–31, 233
• Human Dimension, 130
• humility, 185
• hurricanes, 9–10, 223
  • Hurricane Ivan, 218–19
  • Hurricane Katrina, 213–20
  • Hurricane Pam simulation, 214–20
• Hynd, Noel, 100

• IBM, 140–42
• Iceland, 75–81, 125, 231, 239
• ICUs (intensive care units), 145–46
• “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign, 142
• Imber, Amantha, 177–79
• immigrants, 112
• impulsivity, and violence, 117, 120–21, 123
• inattentional blindness, 30
• India, 177
• injuries:
  • athletic, 21–23, 29
  • from falling branches, 175–76
  • from lifting and transferring patients in nursing homes, 193–94
  • playground, 175
• Innovative Emergency Management (IEM), 213–14, 220
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 37, 234
• insulin, 192
• Intel, 168
• Interface, 39–40, 48–53
• internet, see computers and internet
• Internet of Things, 142
• invasive species, 171–74, 176–77, 180
• Inventium, 177–78
• Inventology (Kennedy), 232
• Island Conservation, 176, 184
• Iton, Anthony, 97–102, 110

• Jaeger, Jennifer, 91–96
• Japan, 211
  • earthquakes in, 140
• Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, 83, 84n, 85
• Jordan, Michael, 183

• Kahneman, Daniel, 158–59
• Kaiser Permanente (KP), 203
• Kay, Allen, 142
• Kennedy, Pagan, 232
• Kenwood Academy High School, 24
• Khosrowshahi, Dara, 3
• Kirby, Elizabeth, 23–24
• Kleffman, Sandy, 98
• Koskinen, John, 208–11

• laptop power cord, 58, 231–32
• Las Vegas, 127n
• lawsuit data patterns, 175, 184
• lazy bureaucrats, 166, 169
• Lederberg, Joshua, 227, 231
• legitimacy, 43
• Less Medicine, More Health (Welch), 143
• leverage, 115–33
• life expectancy, 98–102, 113–14, 190–91
• life preservers, 6–7
• light switch, 57–58
• Lilly, Jonathan, 202
• LinkedIn, 135–37
• Loblaw, David Robert, 212
• Los Angeles Dodgers, 100–101
• Los Angeles Times, 64
• Lowlevel Windshear Alert Systems (LLWAS), 211
• Luca, Michael, 159–60
• Ludwig, Jens, 116, 154, 250

• Maalin, Ali Maow, 15
• Macleod, John, 141–42
• Macquarie Island, 171–74, 176, 177n
• macro and micro, 236–37
• macro trends, 154, 161, 162, 167
• Marisa, Rich, 57–58
• mastectomies, 180–81
• Mayor’s Challenge, 90
• McCannon, Joe, 89, 163, 238
• McCutchen, Aamirah, 130–31
• Meadows, Donella, 174–76, 179, 187, 188
• Medicaid, 180, 196, 240
• Medicare, 113, 180, 201, 240
• medicine, see health, health care
• meetings, 183–84
• Mehrotra, Vikas, 177
• Meltzer, Michael, 227
• Mexico City, 15
• mice and rats, on Macquarie Island, 171–74, 176
• Milkman, Harvey, 79
• Miller, Dale, 42–43
• misalignment, 161, 68–69
• Molina, Mario, 65–67
• Montreal Protocol, 66, 69
• Moodey, Tucker, 2–3
• Moon landing, 226–28
• Morrissey, Larry, 90–91, 94
• Mostashari, Farzad, 202
• mothers:
  • Nurse-Family Partnership and, 194–99, 237–38
  • parental leave for, 13
• “move fast and break things” ethos, 185
• “move your chair” moments, 41, 49, 53
• MRI scans, 192, 203
• Mullainathan, Sendhil, 59–60

• NASA, 226–28
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 47
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 70
• National Office Management Association, 31
• natural disasters, see disasters and disaster preparedness
• Nature, 8, 66, 68
• Nautilus, 227
• navigation analogy, 179–80
• negative unintended consequences, 169, 171–88, 204
• neighborhoods, 97–102, 106, 110–13
• Network for College Success, 25
• New England Patriots, 21–22
• New Orleans, La.:
  • Hurricane Ivan and, 218–19
  • Hurricane Katrina and, 213–20
• New York, N.Y.:
  • crime in, 162–66
  • falling branches in, 175–76
  • lawsuit data patterns in, 175, 184
• New York City Police Department (NYPD), 162–66, 168
• New Yorker, 83, 84n
• New York Times, 32, 48, 142
• New York University (NYU), 133
• Nike, 204
• Nimoy, Leonard, 207–8, 225–26
• 9/11 attacks, 142, 213
• 911 calls, 83, 137–40
• normalization, 30–31, 32
• Northwell Health, 137–40
• Norway, 13–14
• nuclear weapons, 225, 227
• Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), 194–99, 237–38
• nurses, 60–62, 63
• nursing homes, 138, 139
  • lifting and transferring patients in, 193–94

• Okerstrom, Mark, 4–5, 63
• Olds, David, 194–95
• O’Neill, Ryan, 1–3
• Onie, Rebecca, 11
• On the Media, 31
• open-office plans, 177–80, 185
• ownership, 38, 39–55, 70
• Ozone Hole: How We Saved the Planet, 66
• ozone layer, 65–70

• P3, 22
• paired metrics, 168, 203
• parental leave, 13
• Parker, Janet, 16n
• parking place, 232, 233
• parks, 110–11, 112
  • tree pruning in, 175–76
• Parto do Princípio, 35–36
• patience and impatience, 234–35
• Pavlin, Julie, 191–92
• pediatricians, and automobile safety, 44–47
• Pediatrics, 44, 46, 47, 48
• peripheral vision, 30
• Perla, Rocco, 11
• Permanente Medical Group, 124
• pest control, household, 199
• phishing emails, 220–22
• phobias, 30–31, 32
• Pickering, Roscoe, 46–47
• Pill Model, 237–39
• Pina, Frank, 156
• plastic bags, 185–88
• police, 5–6, 8, 122n, 154
  • car accidents and, 6, 16
  • data and, 122n, 162–63
  • domestic violence and, 83, 86–88
  • New York City Police Department, 162–66, 168
  • Nurse-Family Partnership and, 196
• polio vaccine, 45
• Pollack Harold, 116, 117, 121, 123
• Ponder, Paige, 25, 27–28, 88
• Poppy + Rose, 193
• poverty, 59, 97, 106
  • see also food assistance; homelessness
• Pratt, Lisa, 228
• pre-gaming, 168–69
• prevention, see upstream actions
• Princeton University, 43–44
• proactive efforts, see upstream actions
• problem(s):
  • addressing the wrong ones, 32–33
  • bandwidth and, 58–60
  • big and little, 58–59
  • blindness to, 21–38, 42, 70, 76, 128, 147, 232
  • designating something as, 32
  • early warning of, 135–51
  • longevity of, 233
  • ownership of, 38, 39–55, 70
  • slack and, 63, 67
• Project ASSIST, 234
• Project Parto Adequado, 37
• prophet’s dilemma, 226
• proximity, 133, 236
• psychological standing, 43–44

• quantity—and quality-based measures, 168

• rabbits, on Macquarie Island, 171–74
• Rad, Bex, 104
• radiologists, 29–30
• Ramirez-Di Vittorio, Anthony (Tony D), 117–20, 122, 249
• RAND Corporation, 12, 180
• randomized control trial (RCT), 121, 237
• rape, 164–66
  • date rape on campus, 42–43
• Ratner, Rebecca, 43
• rats and mice, on Macquarie Island, 171–74, 176
• reaction, see downstream actions
• Reagan, Ronald, 70
• Reply All, 163–64
• restoration, 10, 153
• Reyes, Sarah, 112
• Reykjavík, Iceland, 75–81, 125, 231, 239
• Ridenour, Brandon, 200–201
• Ringelestein, Don, 221–23
• ripple effects, 169, 174, 197
• a rising tide lifts all boats, 154, 161, 162, 168
• Rocchetti, Carmela, 128–33
• Rockford, Ill., 90–96, 108, 236, 239
• ROI (return on investment), 127
• Romania, 81
• ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation), 139
• Rowland, F. Sherwood (Sherry), 65–67, 68

• Saltonstall, David, 175
• Sanchez, Rita, 37
• Sanders, Bob, 45–47, 48, 52, 53, 237
• Sanders, Pat, 45–46
• Sandor, Beth, 94–95
• Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, 146–51
• Sandy Hook Promise, 146–50
• San Francisco Giants, 100–101
• Sanghavi, Darshak, 240–43
• Saxena, Roli, 135–36
• Say Something program (Sandy Hook Promise), 149–50
• scarcity, 58–60
• Scarcity (Shafir and Mullainathan), 59–60
• Scharf, Caleb, 227
• Schneier, Bruce, 223, 226
• schools, 16, 38, 89, 112
  • ACT scores and, 167, 168
  • advanced placement courses in, 167, 168
  • Chicago Public Schools, 23–29, 42, 63, 88–89, 109, 137, 160, 167–68, 231, 236, 239
  • DonorsChoose and, 107–8
  • dropout and graduation rates, 16, 23–26, 28, 30, 38, 42, 54–55, 63, 109, 160, 166–67, 208, 212, 239
  • Freshman On-Track, 24–26, 28, 88, 160
  • Freshman Success Teams, 27, 63
  • “peripheral vision” of teachers and principals at, 30
  • phishing and hacking as threat to, 221, 223
  • shootings at, 146–51, 225
  • standardized test scores and, 182
  • University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, 24, 167
• Schultz, George, 70
• Scoreboard Model, 237–39
• Schwab, Jerry, 100–101
• Schwab, Matty, 100–101
• seabirds, on Macquarie Island, 171–74
• self-fulfilling prophecies, 156
• self-harm, 148, 149
• Sendai, 140
• sensors, 142–43, 148
• September 11 attacks, 142, 213
• Sex and the Office (Brown), 31
• sexual assault, 149
• sexual harassment, 31–32, 38, 54
• Shafir, Eldar, 59–60
• Shapero, Dan, 135–36
• Shelness, Annemarie, 44, 45
• sidewalks, 155–59, 161
• Sigfúsdóttir, Inga Dóra, 77–79, 81
• Singer, Peter, 174n
• Sipsma, Heather, 12
• slack, 63, 67
• slumlords, 112
• smallpox, 15–16, 224
• smart devices, 142
• Smith & Hawken, 40
• smoking, 42, 234–35
• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), 197
• Snyder, Rachel Louise, 84n
• social safety net, 107
• social sector, 105–6, 237–39, 249–50
• Social Security Act, 190
• sociometric badges, 178, 180
• Sosland, Steve, 233
• Soura, Christian, 198
• South Carolina, 197–98, 237–38
• South Korea, 143–45
• space exploration, 226–28
• Spain, 81
• sports, 21–23, 29
  • in substance abuse prevention, 79–80, 125
• Sports Illustrated, 100
• staff meetings, 183–84
• Stap, Jake, 232
• State Library Victoria, Melbourne, 179, 185
• Steiner, Mike, 124–25
• Stevenson, Bryan, 133
• Stolarski, Richard, 68
• stress, 100
• Stringer, Scott, 175–76
• subscriptions:
  • exterminator, 199
  • home services, 200–201
  • online, 16, 135–37
• substance abuse, 8, 71, 75–81, 125, 149, 239
• substituting hard questions for easy ones, 158–59
• success, 153–69
• suicide, 148, 149
• Summit CPA Group, 183
• systems change, 97–114, 115, 236, 237
• systems thinking, 7, 60, 174, 176, 180

• tangibility, 6, 9, 153
• taxes, 67–68
• Taylor, Lauren, 12
• Taylor, Rebecca, 186
• technologies, dangers of, 223–25
• TEDx talks, 70, 99, 150
• teeth, 64–65, 103
• Tennessean, 47
• tennis balls, 232, 233
• terrorism, 142–43, 213, 225
  • 9/11 attacks, 142, 213
• Thatcher, Margaret, 69
• Thinking, Fast and Slow (Kahneman), 158–59
• Thomas, Martyn, 212
• Thompson, John, 57
• 311 calls, 155–56
• thyroid cancer, 143–45
• Times (London), 33
• tobacco companies, 42, 234–35
• Tolbert, Eric, 213
• Tony D (Anthony Ramirez-Di Vittorio), 117–20, 122, 249
• Torres, Jacqueline, 35–37
• Transformative Climate Communities (TCC), 111–12
• tree pruning, 175–76
• Tremblay, Richard, 8, 9
• Trust for America’s Health, 191
• Tucker, Anita, 60–62
• tunneling, 57–71
• Turban, Stephen, 178

• unintended consequences, 169, 171–88, 204
• uniting the right people, 75–96
• University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (CCSR), 24, 167
• University of Chicago Crime Lab, 116–17, 120–24, 126, 154, 236, 250
• upstream actions (prevention), 3–10, 229–44
  • bias toward reaction instead of, 5–6, 9–10, 17
  • complexity in, 9, 185, 187
  • defined, 6
  • for distant and improbable threats, 17, 207–28
  • drowning parable and, 1, 7
  • expensive programs targeted at small groups of people, 126
  • humility and, 185
  • interplay between downstream actions and, 7
  • multiple points in, 7
  • as optional or volunteer work, 41, 76
  • paradox in, 67
  • and saving money, 127
  • systems change and, 97–114, 115, 236, 237
  • systems thinking in, 7, 60, 174, 176, 180
  • timelines in, 159
  • use of term, 7
  • “the world avoided” phrase and, 70
• upstream leaders, questions for:
  • how will you avoid doing harm, 171–88
  • how will you change the system, 97–114
  • how will you get early warning of the problem, 135–51
  • how will you know you’re succeeding, 153–69
  • how will you unite the right people, 75–96
  • where can you find a point of leverage, 115–33
  • who will pay for what does not happen, 189–204
• upstream thinking, three barriers to:
  • lack of ownership, 38, 39–55, 70
  • problem blindness, 21–38, 42, 70, 76, 128, 147, 232
  • tunneling, 57–71

• vaccines, 191
  • polio, 45
  • smallpox, 15–16, 224
• van Heerden, Ivor, 219
• VanMoof, 104–5
• Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 221
• violence:
  • in Chicago, 116, 118, 121, 123, 124, 126
  • domestic, 82–89, 236, 239
  • guns, 117, 121, 126, 149
  • homicide, 83–85, 87, 88, 116–17, 121, 126, 162, 236
  • impulsivity and, 117, 120–21, 123
  • school shootings, 146–51, 225
• Vogt, PJ, 163–64
• “Vulnerable World Hypothesis, The” (Bostrom), 224

• waffles, 193, 194
• Walker, Angie, 93–96
• Wallace, David Foster, 103
• Wall Street Journal, 90
• warnings about problems, 135–51
• Washko, Jonathan, 137–38
• water metaphor, 103–5, 174
• water pollution, 186
• Watson (computer), 141–42
• weeds, 173, 174, 180
• Welch, Gil, 143–44, 192
• Wheeler, David, 150
• When Biospheres Collide (Meltzer), 227
• Whippy, Alan, 124
• White, Kieshaun, 113
• Wile, Bobby, 86–87
• Wills, Maury, 100, 101
• workplace:
  • disputes in, 53–54
  • diversity in, 108–9
  • open-office plans at, 177–80, 185
  • parental leave and, 13
  • sexual harassment in, 31–32, 38, 54
  • staff meetings at, 183–84
• “the world avoided” phrase, 70
• wrong pocket problem, 197

• Y2K or Year 2000 problem, 207–13, 223, 226
• Yin, Diana, 193
• Youth Guidance, 118, 121
  • Becoming a Man, 117–23, 249, 250
• “Youth in Iceland” survey, 80

• Zak, Sonya, 42–43
• Zola, Irving, 1