Global Risk Agility and Decision Making: Organizational Resilience in the Era of Man-Made Risk

by Daniel Wagner, Dante Disparte

In Global Risk Agility and Decision Making , Daniel Wagner and Dante Disparte, two leading authorities in global risk management, make a compelling case for the need to bring traditional approaches to risk management and decision making into the twenty-first century. Based on their own deep and multi-faceted experience in risk management across numerous firms in dozens of countries, the authors call for a greater sense of urgency from corporate boards, decision makers, line managers, policymakers, and risk practitioners to address and resolve the plethora of challenges facing today's private and public sector organizations.
Set against the era of manmade risk , where transnational terrorism, cyber risk, and climate change are making traditional risk models increasingly obsolete, they argue that remaining passively on the side-lines of the global economy is dangerous, and that understanding and actively engaging the world is central to achieving risk agility. Their definition of risk agility taps into the survival and risk-taking instincts of the entrepreneur while establishing an organizational imperative focused on collective survival.

The agile risk manager is part sociologist, anthropologist, psychologist, and quant. Risk agility implies not treating risk as a cost of doing business, but as a catalyst for growth. Wagner and Disparte bring the concept of risk agility to life through a series of case studies that cut across industries, countries and the public and private sectors. The rich, real-world examples underscore how once mighty organizations can be brought to their knees―and even their demise by simple miscalculations or a failure to just do the right thing. The reader is offered deep insights into specific risk domains that are shaping our world, including terrorism, cyber risk, climate change, and economic resource nationalism, as well as a frame of reference from which to think about risk management and decision making in our increasingly complicated world.


This easily digestible book will shed new light on the often complex discipline of risk management. Readers will learn how risk management is being transformed from a business prevention function to a values-based framework for thriving in increasingly perilous times. From tackling governance structures and the tone at the top to advocating for greater transparency and adherence to value systems, this book will establish a new generation of risk leader, with clarion voices calling for greater risk agility. The rise of agile decision makers coincides with greater resilience and responsiveness in the era of manmade risk.

446 pages, Paperback

Published June 9, 2018

About the author

Daniel Wagner is the CEO of Country Risk Solutions, Managing Director of Multilateral Accountability Associates, and has more than three decades of experience assessing cross-border risk. He is an authority on political risk insurance and analysis and has worked for some of the world’s most respected and best-known companies, including AIG, GE, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank Group. In 2023 he was Adaptation Finance Lead and Technical Advisor on Private Capital Mobilization for COP28 in Abu Dhabi. Prior to that he was Senior Investment Officer for Guarantees and Syndications at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing and Abu Dhabi.

Daniel has published 12 books – The New Multilateralism, Tales from Inside, Decision-Making in the Polycrisis Era, The Chinese Epiphany, The Chinese Vortex, The America-China Divide, China Vision, AI Supremacy, Virtual Terror, Global Risk Agility and Decision-Making, Managing Country Risk, and Political Risk Insurance Guide – as well as more than 700 articles on current affairs and risk management. He is a regular contributor to such publications as the South China Morning Post, Sunday Guardian, Diplomatic Courier and Fair Observer, among many others. For a full listing of his publications and media interviews please see www.countryrisksolutions.com.

Daniel holds master’s degrees in international relations from the University of Chicago and in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He also has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Richmond University in London.

Reviews

[Jennifer Ciotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wagner and Disparte have hit a raw nerve with this timely book. As
man-made risk is everyone's problem, we can no longer ignore it. We
must tackle it head on! This book does that very effectively. Far from
being a boring book on risk management, it is a call to action for
anyone concerned about our future, and that of generations to come.
Highly recommended!

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Global Risk Agility and Decision Making guides the reader through a wide range of topics related to (man-made) risk management. Those include global warming, terrorism, and the likes. It's an accessible book, that provides useful insight into the world of risk management.

I just can't get my head around the fact that halfway through the book, he uses Wikipedia as a source.

[Seng Wee Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your usual self-help book or any other business strategy book. The authors have made a tremendous effort in commenting on the global phenomenons happening in tandem with the atrocious behaviours by various entities.

In general this book offers a macro view of the world, and it highlights the issues with organisations having the 'too big to fail' mentality which eventually led to their demise. The scope of the book ranges from how the UN Security Council is missing out India, the country with one of the largest population in the world as one of its permanent members to recommending the attitude of an entrepreneur. The breadth of content covered in the book is very extensive, and is very suitable for individuals who want to understand the world better.

One of my favourite notion from the book was, '...countries at UN meetings tend to privatise gains, while socialising losses' Hmmmmmm food for thought.

[John Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book enlightening on many levels. It puts man-made risk into perspective while offering some practical prescriptions for how we can get out in front of it. Looking at the weekly headlines, if ever there was a time for a book that tackles man-made risk head on, it is now. I'm glad the authors had the foresight to write it, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who is concerned about our collective future.