Chris Clearfield Books
Chris Clearfield is a former derivatives trader and founder of System Logic, a consulting firm focused on risk and complexity.
Known for: Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It
Books by Chris Clearfield
Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It
Meltdown explores why complex systems—from financial markets to nuclear power plants—sometimes fail catastrophically. Drawing on research in sociology, psychology, and engineering, the authors explain how small errors can cascade into disasters and how organizations can design for resilience. The book offers practical strategies for leaders to manage complexity and prevent systemic breakdowns.
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Understanding Complexity and Systemic Fragility
At the heart of system failure lies a paradox. We build complex systems because we want them to perform better — faster trading algorithms, more automated factories, more integrated hospitals. Yet every improvement adds more connections, more interactions, and more uncertainty. Complex systems don’t...
From Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It
Human Biases: The Weak Link in Strong Systems
Even the best technical designs can crumble under human psychology. In our research, we found that people are surprisingly poor at reasoning within complexity. Cognitive biases — overconfidence, groupthink, confirmation bias — lead us to underestimate risks and overestimate our own control. This is ...
From Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It
About Chris Clearfield
Chris Clearfield is a former derivatives trader and founder of System Logic, a consulting firm focused on risk and complexity.
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Chris Clearfield is a former derivatives trader and founder of System Logic, a consulting firm focused on risk and complexity.
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