More than 15,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you November’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“CUBED. A Secret History of the Workplace” by Nikil Saval (Copyright 2014 by Nikil Saval; used by arrangement with The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2014, 368 pages, ISBN: 9780385536578; $18.66)
The Industrial Revolution helped give rise to the office—where people today push paper, thump keyboards, play politics, and earn not-always-equal amounts of money. The increasing popularity of telecommuting and contract work puts the office on the verge of enormous change. Journalist Nikil Saval walks you through the evolution of today’s white-collar world. He deftly cites Herman Melville’s 1853 short story, “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,” and the 1999 film, Office Space, while providing a short, fascinating course on architecture and its effects on people’s work and their emotions. getAbstract recommends Saval’s eye-opening essay to anybody who works in an office and wonders what’s to come.
Rating (out of 10): 9
Importance: 9
Innovation: 8
Style: 9
“Connection Culture. The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work” by Michael Lee Stallard, Jason Pankau, and Katharine P. Stallard (ATD, 2015, 168 pages, ISBN: 9781562869274; $16.50)
Packed with rock-solid evidence, disturbing statistics, and moving stories, this short but passionate plea for connectedness at work and in life delivers a wake-up call. How connected you feel to other people at work turns out to be the primary driver of your sense of engagement as an employee, but Americans, in particular, have let relationships and community suffer. Experts Michael Lee Stallard, Jason Pankau, and Katharine P. Stallard explain why people need to connect. They find that record numbers of U.S. workers are stressed, unhealthy, and addicted as a result of ignoring the benefits of close, caring relationships in favor of more work, solo entertainment, and a casual approach to marriage. The few organizations that include employees in decisions, respect them, and encourage relationship building and bonding ultimately outpace their competitors. getAbstract recommends this quick read to leaders who want to build places where the best people want to work and connect.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 7
“Good for You, Great for Me. Finding the Trading Zone and Winning at Win-Win Negotiation” by Lawrence Susskind (Public Affairs, 2014, 256 pages, ISBN: 9781610394253; $19.36)
Even when negotiating a win-win deal, you can still win bigger than the other party. Negotiation expert and MIT professor Lawrence Susskind says that the point of win-win negotiation is not to divide value equally, but to increase value for everyone. If you generate new value for everyone—say, by devising creative financing options or offering an attractive partnering opportunity—you should claim the lion’s share for yourself. Susskind outlines strategies for increasing value in negotiations with clients, competitors, regulators, or your own staff. Each section is clear and to the point, with practical ideas well illustrated with examples. But the book suffers a bit from confusing organization; Susskind tends to switch from topic to topic like an iPod in shuffle mode. If you can live without linearity, you’ll find a rich selection of tactics and strategies for your next parley. getAbstract recommends that negotiators at companies of any size or kind study this handbook with care and embrace Susskind’s lessons—before the other side does.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 7
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
