From our friends at the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship
As you start to get in the holiday spirit and begin your holiday shopping, NDE-news is here to help with their annual Holiday Books edition for followers of the innovation economy. All recommended volumes have been published within the last year and should be available from major book retailers.
A Culture of Improvement: Technology and the Western Millennium
Robert Friedel (MIT Press, 2007)
What explains the development of technology over time? Friedel chalks it up to a “culture of improvement,” i.e., people’s belief that things can be done in a better way. Friedel takes this commonplace definition and uses it to explain the winners and losers in the history of Western technology. He contends that the culture of improvement is a major driver of the development of Western civilization, too. He offers chapters that trace the development of technologies, products, and processes as varied as cheesemaking, the transistor, the internal combustion engine, and the development of eyeglasses.
Redefining Global Strategy: Crossing Borders in a World Where Differences Still Matter
Pankaj Ghemawat (Harvard Business School Press, 2007)
If someone tells you the world is flat, don’t believe them. That’s one message from Ghemawat’s Redefining Global Strategy. He argues that many businesses have taken global convergence too far. At this point, it’s more accurate to speak of “semi-globalization,” a situation where significant cross-border cultural differences still affect how to do business. Ghemawat recommends that corporations design strategies with these differences in mind. Instead of a one-size-fits all approach, effective global strategies recognize unique home markets. He points to Toyota as an example of a firm that has succeeded in altering its core business strategies to account for these cultural differences.
Innovation Nation: How America is Losing its Innovation Edge, Why it Matters and What We Can Do to Get it Back
John Kao (Free Press, 2007)
Kao’s book is a call to arms about America’s eroding innovation capacity. As new global centers of innovation (such as India and China) have arisen, the US has failed to keep up and make needed investments in education, research, and other key innovation assets. Kao puts some meat on the bones of this basic story with interesting data, anecdotes, and examples. He recommends that the US embrace a new culture of innovation that is collaborative, open to global partnerships, is focused on the long-term, and that seeks to develop global solutions to global challenges such as climate change, energy depletion, and fighting disease and poverty.
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China, and What It Means for All of Us
Robyn Meredith (W.W. Norton, 2007)
There are many new volumes on the rise of India and China as major economic players. This book from Robyn Meredith, a Forbes foreign correspondent, is one of the better offerings. Meredith details the revolutionary changes occurring in both nations, but also notes that Americans have been the real beneficiaries of these changes. As she notes, “Made in China” really means “Made by America in China.” In her conclusions, she echoes some of the points raised in John Kao’s Innovation Nation. America’s most effective response to the rise of China and India is to re-invest at home and strengthen its competitive position in the world.
The Cleantech Revolution: The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportunity
Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder (Collins, 2007)
Alternative energy is widely touted to be “the next big thing” with investors and entrepreneurs from around the world jumping on the bandwagon. If you want to know what the fuss is all about, this is a good place to start. One way to describe this book would be “Cleantech 101.” While there are many magazine and journal articles on the industry, this is one of the few book-length treatments that offers a good basic introduction to the world of cleantech.
No Man's Land: What to Do When Your Company Is Too Big to Be Small, and Too Small to Be Big
Doug Tatum (Portfolio Hardcover, 2007)
What is No Man’s Land? According to Doug Tatum, founder of Tatum CFO, it refers to a company’s period of adolescence. The firm has grown (it could have up to twenty employees), and can no longer rely solely on the charismatic leadership of its entrepreneurial founder(s). Many companies falter as they shift from an entrepreneurial leadership model to a more efficient and scalable management system. Tatum’s book is an excellent guide for surviving business adolescence. It contains a number of interesting “real-life” stories as well as some clear tips on how entrepreneurs can transform themselves and their companies.
The Inside Advantage: The Strategy That Unlocks the Hidden Growth in Your Business
Robert H. Bloom with Dave Conti (McGraw Hill, 2007)
The first three words of this book's introduction set the tone: "Grow or die!" Bob Bloom shares practical lessons from his years as CEO of global advertising firm Publicis Worldwide. Bloom lays out the basics of his Growth Discovery Process and shares the growth strategies of a few of his better-known clients such as Southwest Airlines, T-Mobile and BMW.
These book recommendations are (c) 2007 The Public Forum Institute and the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship
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