Nowadays, as we are expected to stay at home to stay safe, it is a good time to free your mind and catch up on some reading. Professors from both Nova SBE and partner institutions can help you start, with some suggestions that promise to help you reflect on this "new normal".
Article by: Nova SBE Executive Education | Reading time 6 minutes
Priscilla Du Preez
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
Recommended by Miguel Pina e Cunha
It is the best book I have read in years. It is amazing for the knowledge gathered in one person. What is more, it explains how weapons, germs (here it is!) and steel made history as we know it. Diamond is a much better Harari!
Miguel Pina e Cunha is the Scientific Coordinator of the General Management postgraduate program. As part of the campaign, We all have a role to play, he held a webinar on Exponential Paradigm Shift that you can watch here.
Tao Te Ching by Lao-tzu
Recommended by Constança Casquinho
The author’s advice on leadership, relationships, work and the overall way of living a noble and purposeful life, despite being more than 2,500 years old, is ageless and possibly even more relevant now than in any other time in human history. Tao Te Ching teases us with marvelous metaphors to return to a simple and truly fulfilling life. May the words of wisdom in this book touch your hearts as they do with mine whenever I mindfully remind myself that “Whoever is planted in the Tao will not be rooted up. Whoever embraces the Tao will not slip away.”
Constança Casquinho is part of the Nova SBE Executive Education faculty. As part of the campaign, We all have a role to play, she wrote Facing the Full Catastrophe with Mindfulness that you can read here.
The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
Recommended by Paula Marques
How is it possible that a creature so fragile as the human being, that doesn't run that fast, has no sharp claws to protect himself and that climbs trees very badly, ended up dominating this planet? The answer that Darwin came up with is so simple and at the same time a huge problem for evolutionary biology. What distinguishes us from other species and which remains an enigma and mystery to nature, is simply this: humans collaborate extraordinarily even with those with whom they do not share genes. And they do it willingly. And it is probably this enigma that evolutionary biology still cannot understand today, that made us survive and evolve as a species.
Paula Marques is part of the Nova SBE Executive Education faculty and Director of Business Development.
The fearless organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy C Edmondson
Recommended by Filipa Breia da Fonseca
The fearless organization is a book that explores the importance of psychological security in organizations and their employees. Managers and leaders must be able to create workplaces where people feel safe, can share their ideas and failures, and that this should lead them to embrace new learning opportunities. The author also argues that it is necessary to build fear-free organizations, with a culture in the workplace in which disagreement of principles is encouraged, and where there is zero-tolerance for lack of civility or any illegal or unethical behavior.
Filipa Breia da Fonseca is the Scientific Coordinator of the Healthcare Management postgraduate program. As part of the campaign, We all have a role to play, she held a webinar on Why Organizational Safety Matters in Times of Crisis that you can watch here.
Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation 2nd Edition by Kees van der Heijden
Recommended by António Alvarenga
In the context of the current crisis, Scenarios have emerged as a methodologically sound and effective way to deal with uncertainty and enhance organizational learning. This book is still my favorite about Scenarios. Kees van der Heijden provides a highly insightful, organized, theoretically sound and hands-on approach to Scenarios and Scenario Building. It develops the concept of "strategic conversation", showing how to use scenarios to pilot organization through unknown territory, and illustrates how managers can create a successful path into the future in the face of significant uncertainty. Linking the organization’s unique business idea with scenario thinking, and building on the principles of organizational learning, Kees van der Heijden describes practical ways to develop the skills that will enhance the continuous scenario-based strategy process.
António Alvarenga is the Scientific Coordinator of the Scenarios & Strategic Foresight. As part of the campaign, We all have a role to play, he held a webinar on Scenarios and the Future that you can watch here.
Man's Search for Himself by Rollo May
Recommended by Milton de Sousa
In these times of uncertainty and anxiety, I suggest taking up an old text that, despite age, certainly inspires us for the future. Rollo May was a pioneering humanist psychologist in the positive psychology movement, giving an enlightening insight, in an accessible language, about what moves us in the search for meaning. Essential for anyone who wants to reflect on the meaning they want to give to their daily lives.
Milton de Sousa is a Professor on the Organizational Coaching to Boost Performance program. As part of the campaign, We all have a role to play, he held a webinar on Choosing for Meaning in Times of Uncertainty and Anxiety that you can watch here.
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell
Recommended by Filipe Pereira da Costa
After reading this book we no longer see teams as saw until now. I briefly outline these powerful ideas in 3 parts: complicated vs. complex environments, command vs team structures, and how to build a team of teams. It’s no secret that in any field, small teams have many advantages—they can respond quickly, communicate freely, and make decisions without layers of bureaucracy. But organizations taking on big challenges can’t fit in a garage. They need management practices that can scale to thousands of people. In this powerful book, McChrystal and his colleagues show how the challenges they faced in Iraq can be relevant to countless businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations. The world is changing faster than ever, and the smartest response for those in charge is to give small groups the freedom to experiment while driving everyone to share what they learn across the entire organization.
Filipe Pereira da Costa is the Executive Coordinator of the Healthcare Management postgraduate program. As part of the campaign, We all have a role to play, he will hold a webinar on Operational Crisis Resource Management in Healthcare that you can watch by register here.
The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander
Recommended by Chris Corbin
It is a book on architecture and building rather than business. However it contains a number of valuable messages that can be applied in a wide range of situations. In these days of speed and rapid change there is a risk that we overlook the vital importance of building organisations, relationships and structures that will pass the test of time and connect to our human essence. His chapter on describing the ‘quality with no name’ is a provocative way of thinking about what it is that we do, engage in and create that has that special quality that truly matters and will survive. He talks about the importance of creating an Entranceway to a building that can be applied equally to how we create the way for people to approach us or our organisations. There is an interesting section on the importance of using all of our senses when deciding where and how to construct a building on an empty piece of land. Again, this can translate into thinking about where and how we develop a start-up. With a bit of imagination and openness to translating the content at a metaphorical level, Alexander’s messages can inform and inspire a sustainable way of building our futures, in every respect.
Chris Corbin is a faculty member from Ashridge Executive Education at Hult International Business School. As part of the campaign, We all have a role to play, he held a webinar on The Importance of Creativity in the Innovation Process that you can watch here.
