More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you October’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“Iterate. Run a Fast, Flexible, Focused Management Team” by Ed Muzio (An Inc. Original, 2018, 240 pages, ISBN: 9780999191316 ; $25.95)
Amid constant change, today’s linear approach to strategic planning may no longer be the best strategy. Instead, says author Ed Muzio, use an iterative approach by adjusting your future plans on a step-by-step, look-listen-and-learn basis. Drawing on seven decades of management research, Muzio packs this practical manual with solid information on how companies should learn from experience, test, and iterate. His techniques will help managers increase team productivity and organizational effectiveness.
Rating (out of 10): 9
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 9
Style: 8
“Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. The Imperative of Teams” by Simon Mac Rory (LID Business Media, 2018, 216 pages, ISBN: 9781911498865; $19.95)
Team development specialist Simon Mac Rory offers a comprehensive guide to strengthening teams. The ability to work in teams is a significant human advantage, yet some people seem to abandon their innate teamwork skills at work, and firms often fail to pay attention to how their teams are working. However, companies with a proper plan for improving team effectiveness can boost their productivity and profitability. The author argues that the gig economy and the advent of Millennial employees makes it imperative to position teams as central to your strategy. He enriches his argument by drawing on related academic findings.
Rating (out of 10): 7
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 7
Style: 7
“The Talent Revolution. Longevity and the Future of Work” by Lisa Taylor and Fern Lebo (University of Toronto Press, 2019, 232 pages, ISBN: 9781487500825; $32.95)
HR consultants Lisa Taylor and Fern Lebo discuss older workers in this research-based presentation. They say these employees offer a solution to firms that can’t find talent. Though this narrative seems most relevant to middle- and upper-class white-collar workers, today’s blue-collar and low-wage service workers also are working longer, so this advice fits any firm or industry. Despite some repetition and clichés such as “we live in uncertain times,” this thoughtful discussion of why firms should appreciate mature workers deserves attention, if only to remind you that modern workforce management means leveraging all talent.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 8
Style: 7
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
