Iconoclast, by Gregory Berns

No organization can survive without iconoclasts — innovators who single-handedly upturn conventional wisdom and manage to achieve what so many others deem impossible.Though indispensable, true iconoclasts are few and far between. In Iconoclast, neuroscientist Gregory Berns explains why. He explores the constraints the human brain places on innovative thinking, including fear of failure, the urge to conform, and the tendency to interpret sensory information in familiar ways.

Through vivid accounts of successful innovators ranging from glass artist Dale Chihuly to physicist Richard Feynman to country/rock trio the Dixie Chicks, Berns reveals the inner workings of the iconoclast’s mind with remarkable clarity. Each engaging chapter goes on to describe practical actions we can each take to understand and unleash our own potential to think differently — such as seeking out new environments, novel experiences, and first-time acquaintances.

Packed with engaging stories, science-based insights, potent practices, and examples from a startling array of disciplines, this engaging book will help you understand how iconoclasts think and equip you to begin thinking more like an iconoclast yourself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gregory Berns, MD, PhD, is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University. He has written for numerous science publications and has been interviewed on National Public Radio, CNN, and ABC’s Primetime. He has been profiled frequently in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other media.

The Kids are Alright, by John Beck and Mitchell Wade

Think video games are kids’ stuff? Think again. According to authors John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade all those hours immersed in game culture have created masses of employees with unique attributes. This new generation that’s ninety-million strong has an amazing ability to multitask, solves problems creatively, and brings unexpected leadership to the table. .

But to tap these skills, we need to understand and appreciate the different ways gamers think and behave. The Kids Are Alright dispels common myths about gamers and reveals them as committed, team-oriented people who play to win.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

John C. Beck is a partner with Andersen Consulting, based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mitchell Wade develops information tools and strategy for firms like Google, RAND, and Charles Schwab.

To learn more click here.

The Origin of Wealth, by Eric Beinhocker

“Eric Beinhocker’s The Origin of Wealth ties risk management, incentives, and human psychology together with many other criteria, all under one philosophical framework.” –The Motley Fool

What is wealth? How is it created? And how can we create more of it for the benefit of individuals, businesses, and societies? In The Origin of Wealth, Eric Beinhocker provides provocative new answers to these fundamental questions.

Beinhocker surveys the cutting-edge ideas of economists and scientists and brings their work alive for a broad audience. These researchers, he explains, are revolutionizing economics by showing how the economy is an evolutionary system, much like a biological system. It is economic evolution that creates wealth and has taken us from the Stone Age to the $36.5 trillion global economy of today.

By better understanding economic evolution, Beinhocker writes, we can better understand how to create more wealth. The author shows how “complexity economics” is turning conventional wisdom on its head in areas ranging from business strategy and organizational design to investment strategy and public policy. As sweeping in scope as its title, The Origin of Wealth will rewire our thinking about the workings of the global economy and where it is going.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric D. Beinhocker is a Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute. Fortune magazine named him a “Business Leader of the Next Century,” and his writings on business and economics have appeared in a variety of publications, including the Financial Times.

To learn more click here.

Science Business, by Gary Pisano

“Science Business provides a fascinating history of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.” – The Wall Street Journal

Why has the biotechnology industry failed to perform up to expectations—despite all its promise? In Science Business, Gary P. Pisano answers this question by providing an incisive critique of the industry. Pisano not only reveals the underlying causes of biotech’s problems; he offers the most sophisticated analysis yet on how the industry works. And he provides clear prescriptions for companies, investors, and policymakers seeking ways to improve the industry’s performance.According to Pisano, the biotech industry’s problems stem from its special character as a science-based business. This character poses three unique business challenges: 1) how to finance highly risky investments under profound uncertainty and long time horizons for R&D, 2) how to learn rapidly enough to keep pace with advances in drug science knowledge, and 3) how to integrate capabilities across a broad spectrum of scientific and technological knowledge bases.

The key to fixing the industry? Business models, organizational structures, and financing arrangements that place greater emphasis on integration and long-term learning over shorter-term “monetization” of intellectual property. Pisano maintains that all industry players—biotech firms, investors, universities, pharmaceutical companies, government regulators—can play a role in righting the industry. The payoff? Valuable improvements in health care, and a shinier future for human well-being.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary P. Pisano is the Harry E. Figgie, Jr. Professor of Business Administration and Head of the Technology and Operations Management unit at Harvard Business School.

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Redefining Health Care, by Michael Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg

The U.S. health care system is in crisis. At stake are the quality of care for millions of Americans and the financial well-being of individuals and employers squeezed by skyrocketing premiums—not to mention the stability of state and federal government budgets.In Redefining Health Care, internationally renowned strategy expert Michael Porter and innovation expert Elizabeth Teisberg reveal the underlying—and largely overlooked—causes of the problem, and provide a powerful prescription for change.

The authors argue that competition currently takes place at the wrong level—among health plans, networks, and hospitals—rather than where it matters most, in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of specific health conditions. Participants in the system accumulate bargaining power and shift costs in a zero-sum competition, rather than creating value for patients. Based on an exhaustive study of the U.S. health care system, Redefining Health Care lays out a breakthrough framework for redefining the way competition in health care delivery takes place—and unleashing stunning improvements in quality and efficiency.

With specific recommendations for hospitals, doctors, health plans, employers, and policy makers, this book shows how to move health care toward positive-sum competition that delivers lasting benefits for all.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Michael E. Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School and the author of sixteen books and numerous articles on competition and strategy. Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg is an associate professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business and author of over fifty articles and cases on strategy and innovation.

To learn more click here.

Through the Labyrinth, by Alice Eagly and Linda Carli

Despite real progress, women remain rare enough in elite positions of power that their presence still evokes a sense of wonder. In Through the Labyrinth, Alice Eagly and Linda Carli examine why women’s paths to power remain difficult to traverse.

First, Eagly and Carli prove that the glass ceiling is no longer a useful metaphor and offer seven reasons why. They propose the labyrinth as a better image and explain how to navigate through it. This important and practical book addresses such critical questions as: How far have women actually come as leaders? Do stereotypes and prejudices still limit women’s opportunities? Do people resist women’s leadership more than men’s? And, do organizations create obstacles to women who would be leaders?

This book’s rich analysis is founded on scientific research from psychology, economics, sociology, political science, and management. The authors ground their conclusions in that research and invoke a wealth of engaging anecdotes and personal accounts to illustrate the practical principles that emerge.

With excellent leadership in short supply, no group, organization, or nation can afford to restrict women’s access to leadership roles. This book evaluates whether such restrictions are present and, when they are, what we can do to eliminate them.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Alice H. Eagly is professor and chair of psychology and faculty fellow of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. Linda L. Carli is an associate professor of psychology at Wellesley College.

To learn more click here.

Creative Capital, by Spencer Ante

“[An] ultimately satisfying biography of Georges F. Doriot, the transplanted Frenchman who is often called the father of V.C.” – The New York Times

Venture capitalists are the handmaidens of innovation. Operating in the background, they provide the fuel needed to get fledgling companies off the ground–and the advice and guidance that helps growing companies survive their adolescence.

In Creative Capital, Spencer Ante tells the compelling story of the enigmatic and quirky man–Georges Doriot–who created the venture capital industry. The author traces the pivotal events in Doriot’s life, including his experience as a decorated brigadier general during World War II; as a maverick professor at Harvard Business School; and as the architect and founder of the first venture capital firm, American Research and Development. It artfully chronicles Doriot’s business philosophy and his stewardship in startups, such as the important role he played in the formation of Digital Equipment Corporation and many other new companies that later grew to be influential and successful.

An award-winning Business Week journalist, Ante gives us a rare look at a man who overturned conventional wisdom by proving that there is big money to be made by investing in small and risky businesses. This vivid portrait of Georges Doriot reveals the rewards that come from relentlessly pursuing what-if possibilities–and offers valuable lessons for business managers and investors alike.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Spencer Ante is an editor at Business Week, where he has written many cover stories and received awards for excellence in reporting. He has also written and reported for The New York Times, Salon, Wired, Spin, Business 2.0, The Industry Standard, TheStreet.com, and other publications.

Greater Good, by John Quelch and Katherine Jocz

Marketing has a greater purpose, and marketers, a higher calling, than simply selling more widgets, according to John Quelch and Katherine Jocz.

In Greater Good, the authors contend that marketing performs an essential societal function–and does so democratically. They maintain that people would benefit if the realms of politics and marketing were informed by one another’s best principles and practices.

Quelch and Jocz lay out the six fundamental characteristics that marketing and democracy share: (1) exchange of value, such as goods, services, and promises, (2) consumption of goods and services, (3) choice in all decisions, (4) free flow of information, (5) active engagement of a majority of individuals, and (6) inclusion of as many people as possible. Without these six traits, both marketing and democracy would fail, and with them, society.

Drawing on current and historical examples from economies around the world, this landmark work illuminates marketing’s critical role in the development, growth, and governance of societies. It reveals how good marketing practices improve the political process and–in turn–the practice of democracy itself.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

John A. Quelch is Senior Associate Dean for International Development and Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He also serves as a non-executive director of WPP Group plc, the world?s second-largest marketing services company. Katherine Jocz is a Research Associate in the Department of Research and Teaching Support at Harvard Business School.

The Power of Unreasonable People, by John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan

“A fascinating book.”–Economist.com

Renowned playwright George Bernard Shaw once said “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” By this definition, some of today’s entrepreneurs are decidedly unreasonable–and have even been dubbed crazy. Yet as John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan argue in The Power of Unreasonable People, our very future may hinge on their work.

Through vivid stories, the authors identify the highly unconventional entrepreneurs who are solving some of the world’s most pressing economic, social, and environmental problems. They also show how these pioneers are disrupting existing industries, value chains, and business models–and in the process creating fast-growing markets around the world.

By understanding these entrepreneurs’ mindsets and strategies, you gain vital insights into future market opportunities for your own organization. Providing a first-hand, on-the-ground look at a new breed of entrepreneur, this book reveals how apparently unreasonable innovators have built their enterprises, how their work will shape risks and opportunities in the coming years, and what tomorrow’s leaders can learn from them.

Start investing in, partnering with, and learning from these world-shaping change agents, and you position yourself to not only survive but also thrive in the new business landscape they’re helping to define.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

John Elkington is the Founder, Chief Entrepreneur, and Non-Executive Director of the international consultancy SustainAbility, Ltd. Pamela Hartigan is Managing Director for the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

To learn more click here.

Ben Bernanke’s Fed, by Ethan Harris

How will Bernanke’s leadership affect the Fed’s actions in the coming years? How will Bernanke build on Greenspan’s success, but also put his own stamp on the Fed? What will all this imply for businesses and investors? In Ben Bernanke’s Fed, Ethan Harris provides exceptional insights into these crucial issues.

As a leading “Fed watch” economist, Harris draws on Bernanke’s academic research, his speeches as a governor of the Fed, and his first two years on the job to shed light on:

• How the Federal Reserve analyzes and manages the economy using a synthesis of classical and Keynesian theory
• Bernanke’s strategies for fighting inflation
• The implications of the new chair’s remarkably plain-spoken style
• How Bernanke has cultivated diverse viewpoints but still builds consensus within the Fed

Engaging and discerning, this book demystifies the man who has stepped into what many describe as the second most powerful job in America.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ethan S. Harris is a member of Lehman Brothers’ Global Economics team. A U.S. chief economist, he started his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, joining Lehman Brothers in 1996.

Harris was recently named top economic forecaster by the Wall Street Journal.