SKCI Business Bibliography
Introduction
We are often asked for information that can provide further insight into the topics we work on. These are some of our favourite books on Strategy, Leadership and Teams.
Time is often limited for business leaders, so we have highlighted our Top Three in each section… focusing on books that are easy to read and get to the point quickly!
The Top Three
Our top three books for general business reading…
|
BOOK
|
COMMENTS
|
|---|---|
| The Strategy Book by Max McKeown | Clearly written with diagrams, with a whole section on strategy tools. One of the best places to start reading about strategy. |
| The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni | A really thought-provoking book. Uses a story-telling approach to identify and help solve the common causes of dysfunction in teams. |
| Leading Change by John P Kotter | A real eye-opener for anyone who has struggled to implement change in an organisation. The eight-stage process is extremely powerful and effective for ensuring that strategy is implemented. |
Strategy
The Top Three
Our top three books on strategy:
|
BOOK
|
COMMENTS
|
|---|---|
| The Strategy Book by Max McKeown | Clearly written with diagrams, with a whole section on strategy tools. One of the best places to start reading about strategy. |
| On Strategy (part of HBR’s 10 Must Reads) | Contains a series of essays by authors such as Michael Porter and Richard Kaplan. Easy to dip into for a better understanding of a specific topic. |
| Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt | Whilst most books are focused exclusively on how to develop good strategy, this book also looks at why there is so much bad strategy, and how to avoid the bad strategy pitfalls. |
The Long List
|
BOOK
|
COMMENTS
|
|---|---|
| Contemporary Strategy Analysis by Robert M Grant | A detailed analysis of strategic approaches. Takes an analytical approach which may be off-putting to some readers. |
| Exploring Strategy – Text and Cases by Johnson Whittington, Scholes, Angwin and Regner | One of the definitive books on the subject, with the bonus of some useful online resources. But, at over 700 pages of dense text, it’s not for the faint-hearted! |
| How to Think Strategically by Davide Sola and Jerome Couturier | Specifically focused on the thought processes behind strategy generation. Helpful for breaking out of the “groupthink” mould. |
| Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies | As with all the For Dummies books, this is an easy to read overview of the subject. |
| The Strategy Workout by Bernard Ross and Clare Segall | A relatively slim book with a nice section on how to develop strategy skills. |
Leadership & Teams
The Top Three
|
BOOK
|
COMMENTS
|
|---|---|
| The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni | A really thought-provoking book. Uses a story telling approach to identify and help solve the common causes of dysfunction in teams. |
| Leading Change by John P Kotter | An eye-opener for anyone who has struggled to implement change in an organisation. The eight-stage process is extremely powerful and effective for ensuring that strategy is implemented. |
| It’s Your Ship by Captain D Michael Abrashoff | Describes the author’s experience as a Captain in the US Navy, how he took over an underperforming ship and transformed the culture of the crew and the results they achieved. |
The Long List
|
BOOK
|
COMMENTS
|
|---|---|
| Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell | Based on the author’s experience at Disney, it describes 10 “common sense” leadership strategies. Great for people who like a clear list they can work through. |
| Fish! By Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen | Tells the story of how a manager applies lessons from Seattle’s Pike Place fish market to boost morale and improve business as a result. A short book that is easy to dip into, with a nice uplifting story. |
| Leadership and Self-deception | Looks at how self-deception can undermine our attempts to lead. Explains how people get into the self-betrayal box and how they can “get out of the box”. |
| The Go Giver by Bob Burg and David Mann | Uses a story-telling approach to show the power of giving in business… “Give and you shall receive” |
| Transforming Cultures with CEQ by Gareth Chick | Published in 2019, it introduces the concept of CEQ (Corporate Emotional Intelligence) and explains how it can change business culture. |
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