For the second part of our series, we have five more books that we recommend reading for those looking to thrive in the professional world and expand their knowledge!
1. Everyday Chaos by David Weinberger
Amazon: 4.5/5
Let’s first take a look at something big. Artificial Intelligence, big data, modern science: the macro world is much more unpredictable and complex than we’ve visioned. Can technology empower us to sort out all the chaos in a world of increasing complexity? David Weinberger, a strategic marketing VP and consultant, and senior researcher at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, gives a positive answer. In Everyday Chaos, he adopts a profound and upbeat perspective on the modern Internet and what crawls it. A prominent example is how his explorations of machine learning signify a novel kind of optimism: we have to accept that human beings know very little, and to face the uncertainty. It is not a boom-or-doom issue, but rather a chance to see causes for optimism.
The book gains a 4.5 rating on Amazon, praised for its well-organized structures, compelling arguments, and philosophical concepts blended with pragmatic examples of how business works.If you are interested in machine learning, AI, big data, technology, why not take a look at it?
2. The Cloud Adoption Playbook - Proven Strategies for Transforming Your Organization with the Cloud by Moe Abdula, Ingo Averdunk, Roland Barcia, Kyle Brown and Ndu Emuchay
Amazon: 4.3/5
Now another big term: How much do you know about cloud technology? How does cloud impact key players in your organization? A team of IBM technical executives compose The Cloud Adoption Playbook, which may assist in tailoring your cloud adoption and digital transformation journey to the needs of your organization. It gives “a multi-dimensional view of how you should really strategize around the cloud”, including cloud strategy, technology, and organizational/cultural change. Definitely check it out if your organization just started out with cloud-based technologies.
3. Why Digital Transformations Fail - The Surprising Disciplines of How to Take Off and Stay Ahead by Tony Saldanha
Amazon: 4.5/5
Technology advances fast. Is it already too late to talk about digital transformation, a subject over-populated with buzzwords and shiny sci-fi promises? Probably not. How the topic unfolds matters. In Why Digital Transformations Fail, Tony Saldanha, former Procter & Gamble Vice President for IT and Shared Services, gives practical advice, real-world examples and easy-to-implement models for leaders and organizations at any stage of digital transformation. Tony proposes that devils lie in the details — lack of clear goals and a disciplined approach to fulfill them, not in innovation or technological problems. He presents readers a great framework to view digital transformations in terms of five stages starting from foundational to Living DNA.
With an average 4+ rating on Amazon and Goodreads, the book wins a lot of readers’ hearts: “...it will save you a lot of headaches, roadblocks and money fixing mistakes that most don't consider” “The book is remarkable in explaining the need and value of digital transformation and at the same time providing a practical and executable plan for implementation”. If you are interested in what works and what doesn't in terms of digital transformation, you could take a look at the author’s executable plan for implementation.
4. The Cybersecurity Playbook - How Every Leader and Employee Can Contribute to a Culture of Security by Allison Cerra
Amazon: 4.4/5
Many books elaborate on the technical foundations and intricate setups required for cybersecurity, but they do not cover the routine measures that boards, managers, and employees can take to thwart attacks. However, this Cybersecurity Playbook by Allison Cerra, the CMO of one of the world’s largest cybersecurity companies, provides the step-by-step guide for securing your firm against unexpected attacks and incorporating secure practices into routine business operations.
The book, 4.4 out of 5 marked in the Amazon Review, is praised for its jargon-free language, content loaded with specific, down-to-earth strategies and practical prescriptions for how every employee and leader can adopt sound cybersecurity behaviors. Readers consider it as “an easy read with real advice I can use”, “an easy-to-read book with real-life examples of how practicing "safe cyber" makes you a better corporate citizen” “a book with a great storyline to explain the context of a complex topic of cybersecurity” (Amazon Reviews).
5. The Unicorn Project: A Novel about Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data by Gene Kim
Amazon: 4.6/5
For The Unicorn Project, 6000+ people give an average 4.12 rating in Goodreads and 2000+ mark 4.6 in Amazon. It is a story about software and the corporate development environment. Maxine, a senior lead developer and architect, struggles to survive in a ruthless and callous bureaucratic system—where no one can accomplish anything without interminable committees, paperwork, and approval. One day, she is contacted by a motley crew of misfits who claim to upset the status quo, free developers, restore joy to technological work, and empower the company to succeed during a period of digital disruption. To her astonishment, she discovers that she is being drawn deeper and deeper into this cause.
Eventually, she joins the Rebellion as one of its commanders, putting her in the sights of some deadly and well-known foes. Will she succeed? How do rebel developers and business leaders work together? Let’s follow Gene Kim, the writer of bestselling title The Phoenix Project, to explore how “red shirt” developers and business leaders race against time to innovate, survive in the age of uncertainty under his pen.