Whack-A-Mole: The Price We Pay for Expecting Perfection

Whacking the mole is a salty metaphor for what we do to one another, either as individuals or as organizations, when we expect perfection. Whacking can get ugly. Marx has translated legal and engineering language into a fun read. For this reviewer, what resonates the most is Marx's observation that mole-whacking drives problems underground. He suggests that the way people and systems typically respond to human fallibility could stand some inspection and correction. While predominantly aiming at high-risk environments, like healthcare and airlines, Marx provides examples from many layers of our culture. Draw your own personalized conclusions. On the contrary side, the flow of the narrative is at times a bit stilted. There also seem to be hidden presuppositions that only the author could adequately illuminate. He didn't. Should you read it? Does your organization expect perfection? Whack-a-Mole will make you think.