Stephen King says that if you want to be a writer, there are two things you must do: read a lot and write a lot. This is about the “read a lot” part. I include reading lists and book reviews that will help you do business more effectively and write better for business.
In this post, I point you to reviews of 50 Models for Strategic Thinking, Humility is the New Smart, Red Teaming: How to Get At The Truth Within Your Organization, and Innovation and the Evolution of Industries.
From Kevin Eikenberry: The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking
“Whether you want to know the Swiss Cheese Model, remember Maslow’s Pyramids, understand double loop learning, or explain the Black Swan model, this book is for you.”
From Harvey Schachter: As robots take over more jobs, humility may be best defence
“If you’re contemplating the possibility that you might be replaced at work by a robot or computer, it pays to be humble. That’s the conclusion of the authors of a recent book looking at how people can best react to what they call the Smart Machine Age.”
From Bryce G. Hoffman: Red Teaming: How to Get At The Truth Within Your Organization
“Red teaming is a systematic way of making critical and contrarian thinking part of the strategic planning process of any organization. It is a battle-tested set of tools and processes designed to probe plans for hidden weaknesses, identify missed opportunities, and uncover unseen threats. At the same time, red teaming offers techniques to help organizations surface alternative perspectives, identify and evaluate unconsidered options, and ensure the best ideas are heard regardless of where they come from in the hierarchy.”
From Wharton: A ‘History-Friendly’ Way to Look at Tech Innovation
“Innovative activity is what mainly separates the winners from the losers as industries evolve. The book Innovation and the Evolution of Industries puts forward a new way of looking at this central mechanism of economic growth: a systematic but ‘history-friendly’ view that takes into account the differences in industry context, as exemplified in the computer, semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries. In this interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Wharton emeritus management professor and co-author Sidney Winter discusses the book and the years-long collaboration it took with his colleagues. Winter is a Core Team member of the Mack Institute for Innovation Management.”
Reading recommendations are a regular feature of this blog. Want more recommendations about what to read? Check out my Three Star Leadership blog and Michael McKinney’s LeadingBlog.