Connections - Intertwingled: Information Changes Everything - page 63

visible. It's a power we must use responsibly, since the lines we draw are harder to erase than
we may think.
Our interventions in complex systems beg for humor and humility. We are all butterflies, flap-
ping our wings, no idea of the chaos we cause. In physics and ecology, complexity limits predic-
tion, and that's without the multiplier of mankind. Our plans are not only subject to butterflies
but to the cobra effect as well. In colonial India, the British government tried to reduce the num-
ber of venomous snakes in Delhi by paying cash for dead cobras. It worked for a while until
people began breeding cobras, then the government killed the bounty, and breeders set their
snakes free. Our actions may achieve the opposite of our goals especially when humans are in-
volved. Pads and helmets made football a more dangerous sport. Censorship generates enorm-
ous publicity. Iatrogenics, adverse effects from medical treatment and advice, is the third lead-
ing cause of death in the United States; a visit to your doctor may kill you. Of course, perverse
incentives are partly to blame, but it's messier than that. People are hard to predict. We make
mistakes. We're bad with numbers. We're surprisingly irrational. And we imitate each other, so
ideas and behaviors, good and bad, spread like wildfire. In short, people make complex systems
even more weird and unpredictable.
Years ago, I redesigned the information architecture for a philanthropy. Stakeholder interviews
confirmed the main goal of the website was to help aspiring grantees apply for funding. User re-
search suggested that grant seekers were frustrated that critical data about opportunities and
deadlines was scattered around the site. I had an idea to create one new page with a simple table
to show “what's open when” across all the program areas of the foundation. This Apply for a
Grant page was a big hit with users, becoming the second most visited node after the home
page. However, not long after launch, the Board of Trustees noticed the table, and they were
shocked by the number of programs that were not accepting applications.
This made waves in the organization. There was talk of removing the page. Then a few pro-
grams changed status from closed to open, suggesting that the tail might wag the dog. Then I
heard that wasn't true. Those programs weren't truly open. Fortunately this didn't last long, and
transparency won the day. The philanthropy clarified itself, explaining that its strategic ap-
proach to funding obviates the need for unsolicited applications in several areas. Managers
already know who's who in their community. They invite applications, advance collaborations,
and make investments accordingly.
Figure 3-9. Information changes organizations.