Friday Books and Talks 10-18

Ideas Are Free: How the Idea Revolution Is Liberating People and Transforming Organizations
by Alan G Robinson, Dean M Schroeder

“Because they’re doing the day-to-day work, front-line employees see many problems and opportunities their managers don’t. But most organizations fail to realize this potentially extraordinary source of revenue-enhancing ideas. The authors of “Ideas Are Free use real-world examples from their work with hundreds of organizations to show how to exploit the virtually free, perpetually renewable resource of employee ideas. The book explains how sustainable competitive advantages in areas ranging from productivity and responsiveness to cost reduction and quality assurance are only possible with the attention to detail that comes from getting and implementing large numbers of ideas from employees. Subjects include how to make ideas part of everyone’s job, how to set up and run an effective process for handling ideas, how to help people come up with more and better ideas, and how a strong flow of ideas can have a profound impact on an organization’s culture.”

The Ten faces of Innovation
by Tom Kelley, Jonathan Littman

“The role of the devil’s advocate is nearly universal in business today. It allows individuals to step outside themselves and raise questions and concerns that effectively kill new projects and ideas, while claiming no personal responsibility. Nothing is more potent in stifling innovation. Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience managing IDEO, Kelley identifies ten roles people can play in an organization to foster innovation and new ideas while offering an effective counter to naysayers. Among these approaches are the Anthropologist—the person who goes into the field to see how customers use and respond to products, to come up with new innovations; the Cross-pollinator who mixes and matches ideas, people, and technology to create new ideas that can drive growth; and the Hurdler, who instantly looks for ways to overcome the limits and challenges to any situation.”
TED: Why privacy matters
Alessandro Acquisti

“The line between public and private has blurred in the past decade, both online and in real life, and Alessandro Acquisti is here to explain what this means and why it matters. In this thought-provoking, slightly chilling talk, he shares details of recent and ongoing research — including a project that shows how easy it is to match a photograph of a stranger with their sensitive personal information.”

Application to social engineering. The presenter creates facial composites using photographs of a target’s friends. The resulting composite photograph is registered, by the target, as being more trustworthy.

Here are some of the books and talks that I enjoyed this week, in no particular order.

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation
by Tim Brown

“The myth of innovation is that brilliant ideas leap fully formed from the minds of geniuses. The reality is that most innovations come from a process of rigorous examination through which great ideas are identified and developed before being realized as new offerings and capabilities. This book introduces the idea of design thinking‚ the collaborative process by which the designer′s sensibilities and methods are employed to match people′s needs not only with what is technically feasible and a viable business strategy. In short‚ design thinking converts need into demand. It′s a human−centered approach to problem solving that helps people and organizations become more innovative and more creative.”

Tipping Sacred Cows: Kick the Bad Work Habits that Masquerade as Virtues
by Jake Breeden

“You should try your best, work well with others, and produce excellent work. Right? But these cherished nuggets of advice, in practice, have a dark side that can lead to career-limiting unintended consequences. And they’re not alone. Based on Jake Breeden’s experience coaching thousands of leaders in 27 countries, and new research in economics, neuroscience, and psychology, Tipping Sacred Cows reveals how to overcome the dangerous behaviors that masquerade as virtues at work, and how to lead with fewer self-imposed limitations and greater results. It’s a guide for curious, courageous people at work.”

The First 20 Hours – How to Learn Anything
By Josh Kaufman

“Josh Kaufman is the author of the #1 international bestseller, ‘The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business’, as well as the upcoming book ‘The First 20 Hours: Mastering the Toughest Part of Learning Anything.’ Josh specializes in teaching people from all walks of life how to master practical knowledge and skills. In his talk, he shares how having his first child inspired him to approach learning in a whole new way.”

The game that can give you 10 extra years of life
By Jane McGonigal

“After suffering a severe concussion, Jane McGonigal expereinced physical debilitaion and suicidal tendencie. She searched the medical research for an answer to her problem. She discovered how to extend your life.”

Here are some of the books and talks that I enjoyed this week, in no particular order.

Exploiting Chaos
By Jeremy Gutsche

“Did you know that Hewlett Packard, Disney, Hyatt, MTV, CNN, Microsoft, Burger King, and GE all started during periods of economic recession? Periods of uncertainty fuel tremendous opportunity, but the deck gets reshuffled and the rules of the game get changed. Exploiting Chaos is the ultimate business survival guide for all those looking to change the world. Topics include: sparking a revolution, trend: hunting, adaptive innovation and infectious messaging.”

The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO’s Strategies for Defeating the Devil’s Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization
by Tom Kelley, Jonathan Littman

“The author of the bestselling The Art of Innovation reveals the strategies IDEO, the world-famous design firm, uses to foster innovative thinking throughout an organization and overcome the naysayers who stifle creativity. The role of the devil’s advocate is nearly universal in business today. It allows individuals to step outside themselves and raise questions and concerns that effectively kill new projects and ideas, while claiming no personal responsibility. Nothing is more potent in stifling innovation.”
The unheard story of David and Goliath
By Malcolm Gladwell

“It’s a classic underdog tale: David, a young shepherd armed only with a sling, beats Goliath, the mighty warrior. The story has transcended its biblical origins to become a common shorthand for unlikely victory. But, asks Malcolm Gladwell, is that really what the David and Goliath story is about?”

Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents’
By James Flynn

“It’s called the “Flynn effect” — the fact that each generation scores higher on an IQ test than the generation before it. Are we actually getting smarter, or just thinking differently? In this fast-paced spin through the cognitive history of the 20th century, moral philosopher James Flynn suggests that changes in the way we think have had surprising (and not always positive) consequences. James Flynn challenges our fundamental assumptions about intelligence.”