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 List of books that I have found useful as I work with people and try to understand how to improve both my effectiveness and those I work with:
-====== Organizational Change ======
-[[team_of_teams_-_new_rules_of_engagement_for_a_complex_world_-_general_stanley_mcchrystal|"Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World" - General Stanley McChrystal]]
-Really good book on the change in management approach that we need to put in place to become a more resilient and agile organization - beyond team agility to organization agility. Or to quote General McChrystal “Teams can bring a measure of adaptability to previously rigid organizations. But these performance improvements have a ceiling as long as adaptable traits are limited to the team level.”
-I recommend this to executives especially who are trying to understand how they and the overall organization will need to change in order to become the organization they want it to be. This book covers the move in approach from the “scientific management” / “reductionist” and “command and control” view of managing an organization to one based on “common purpose” / “extreme transparency” and “de-centralized decision making”. “The role of the senior leader was no longer that of controlling puppet master, but rather that of an empathetic crafter of culture.”
-If you are familiar with the agile approach to management the book will cover a lot of ideas that will seem very familiar to you. The benefit of this work is that presents these concepts from an organizational / enterprise level.
-[[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787973718?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00|Squirrel Inc: A Fable of Leadership]] - Stephen Denning
-There are a lot of books about organizational change. This book helps you craft the message (in story form) so that you can engage people's emotions and not just really on dry facts. I found that when "selling" ideas you get more success from well crafted stories than just about any other approach.
-====== Systems Thinking ======
-[[the_principles_of_product_development_flow_second_generation_lean_product_development_-_don_reinertsen|"The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development" - Don Reinertsen]]
-Probably the greatest book ever written on how to improve the creation of products. Also probably the most information packed so the recommended approach to this one is to skim read it the first time for basic content, and then re-read sections as you need it. If you want to understand how to manage risk, how to make decisions of what work to schedule first, on [[what_is_wrong_with_100_utilization_thinking|why you should not focus on 100% utilization of your people]] and so on ... you get the picture. This is the book.
-[[http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Product-Process-Development-2nd-ebook/dp/B00IPNN1Z0/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442529993&sr=1-3&keywords=lean+product+development|"Lean Product and Process Development"]] - Allen Ward
-Another book that really is excellent but a non-trivial read. Helps you understand the application of a lean thinking approach to the problem of new product development (i.e. invention). If you are interested in:
-  * Reducing your development time and resources use as much as four times.
-  * Reducing the risk of quality problems, schedule and cost overruns, and failed products as much as 10 times.
-  * Increasing innovation as much as 10 times.
-  * Reusing production systems and parts, slashing capital costs and improving quality.
-The book shows how to leverage learning and how working multiple design approaches (and deciding as late as possible) will improve solutions. This book combats the notion that phase gate approach to development does not result in improved results and that an approach based on pulling together a total system as an objective milestone makes sense.
-The last 1/4 of the book is a series of case studies at the end of the book are really interesting although if you have already read [[http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Inc-Built-Workplace-People-ebook/dp/B00DMCW1FK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1451928284&sr=8-1|Joy, Inc: How We Built a Workplace People Love]] then you already have one of the case studies.
-As said, an excellent book. It is clear how this booked influenced the thinking at Harley Davidson - see below.
-[[http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement-ebook/dp/B002LHRM2O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442529091&sr=1-1&keywords=goal|The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement]] - Eli Goldratt.
-Business novel aimed at helping you understand the "Theory of Constraints", a set of tools aimed at help you identify where problems are with your delivery system and what you can do about it. Easy read, but the concepts uncovered will change the way you look at things in your delivery system.
-If you want this thinking applied to project management you might want to try [[http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Chain-A-Business-Novel-ebook/dp/B002LHRM2E/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0AEGNJ9Q04848TNSS9XZ&dpID=51H50TOeSQL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR105%2C160_|Critical Chain]]. I suspect I should have read this one first as it is more directly applicable to the issues I was working at the time but enjoyed both of books.
-[[http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Machine-Harley-Davidson-Profitability-Revolutionary-ebook/dp/B0038YY1EQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440185789&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lean+machine|“The Lean Machine: How Harley-Davidson Drove Top-Line Growth and Profitability with Revolutionary Lean Product Development”]] - Dantar P. Oosterwal.
-Brilliant book, just brilliant, if you are trying to understand how to implement "lean" type thinking approach to the problem of new product development. Its an easy read but that does not make it simplistic. There is a lot here that is practical, but more importantly it will help you understand the thinking approach you might want to consider.
-[[https://leanpub.com/actionableagilemetrics|"Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability"]] - Daniel S. Vacant.
-There are two uses of this book:
-  - To understand a small set of metrics which, if tracked correctly, will help you improve your process and
-  - To understand how to interpret scatterplots, cumulative flow diagrams and so on, what to look for and how to address.
-This book is a little "anti-Scrum" (or rather anti point based estimating / velocity calculations) but still a valuable addition to understanding your delivery system.
-[[https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation-ebook/dp/B004J4XGN6/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470047468&sr=1-1&keywords=lean+startup#nav-subnav|The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses]] - Eric Ries.
-Great book! Applies agile / lean approach to the idea of working (and importantly) measuring progress on a true innovation by measuring true learning. While written from the perspective of a startup, the approach can be applied to any innovative endeavor.
-[[this_is_lean_-_resolving_the_efficiency_paradox_-_niklas_modig|"This is Lean: Resolving the Efficency Paradox" - Niklas Modig]]
-I thought this was a great book, a fabulous introduction to help you understand what lean is all about and, just as importantly, what it is not. It helps in understanding of Little's Law, Theory of Constraints, and why Flow Efficiency (and therefore “lean”) is changing how we think about things.
-The base premise is that lean is about “flow efficiency” as opposed to resources efficiency in how work gets done. Flow efficiency focuses on the amount of time it takes from identifying a need to satisfying that need, whereas resource efficiency focuses on efficiently using the resources that add value within an organization.
-Why is this important? For more than two hundred years, industrial development has been built around increasing the utilization of resources. Efficient use of resources has long been the most common way of looking at efficiency. It continues to dominate the way in which organizations in different industries and sectors are organized, controlled, and managed. From an economic perspective, it makes sense to strive for the most efficient possible use of resources. The reason for this is the opportunity cost.
-====== Sustaining Change ======
-[[http://www.amazon.com/Cultivating-Communities-Practice-Managing-Knowledge-ebook/dp/B004OEIQ7W/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443731599&sr=1-2&keywords=communities+of+practice|"Cultivating Communities of Practice"]] - Etienne Wenger
-Once you have an Agile implementation at scale, you often have a new problem. Whereas before you had silos associated with the disciplines, now you have cross-functional teams, and it you are not careful you lose the ability to improve on discipline specific knowledge or worse, require that every team re-invents the discipline knowledge every time. One way to address this is to encourage the formation of Communities of Practice. This book will help you understand the background.
-====== People and Motivation ======
-[[http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates-ebook/dp/B004P1JDJO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442531160&sr=8-1|Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us]] - Dan Pink
-Your first step on a journey on how to really motivate people. Mastery, autonomy and purpose, not money (or at least not directly). For the "condensed version" see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc|Drive: The Surprising Truth About Motivation]] plus [[http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation?language=en|Dan Pink's TED Talk]]
-[[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767907698?keywords=slack&qid=1455823504&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1|"Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency"]] - Tom DeMarco.
-An absolute classic book. This book is a discussion about the counterintuitive principle that explains why efficiency efforts can slow a company down. Fights against the concept that, for example, 100% utilization of people is the most efficient way to get something done and helps you understand why, and what to do about it.
-====== Organizational Change ======
-[[implementing_beyond_budgeting-_unlocking_the_performance_potential_by_bjarte_bogsnes_-_bjarne_bogsnes|Implementing Beyond Budgeting: Unlocking the Performance Potential - Bjarte Bogsnes]]
-Just a great book if you want to understand how to work better with finance and HR. There is a lot here, and some of it may not be immediately something to work, but the ideas can be applied to a wide variety of situations.
 <searchtable>
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 | [[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RNPA6S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o01_|Leading Change]]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | John P Kotter                     | Manager               | Intermediate    | I wish I had this book when I went through our first agile transformation. Fortunately it was there for my second transformation and it really helped me put the first experience in context, offered a model for the new change and tools for going about the process. This made the second transformation a lot smoother.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
 | [[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R3NNDQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_|Our Iceberg is Melting]]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | John P Kotter                     | Manager               | Business Novel  | A business novel on organizational change.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
-| [[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSNMGC2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2|Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World]]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | John P Kotter                     | Manager               | Advanced        | This is the latest version                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
+| [[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSNMGC2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2|Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World]]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | John P Kotter                     | Manager               | Advanced        | This is the latest thinking from Kotter on enabling change in an organization. This time he introduces more than the steps required for change, adding in the idea that companies need to be organized with "dual operating systems", the traditional hierarchy and the customer centric network, in order to regain their ability to respond quickly to the marketplace while keeping the best of the traditional organizational models.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
+|[[https://www.amazon.com/Team-Teams-Rules-Engagement-Complex-ebook/dp/B00KWG9OF4/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=team+of+teams&qid=1606839766&s=digital-text&sr=1-2|Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World]]|General Stanley McChrystal|Manager|Foundational|Really good book on the change in management approach that we need to put in place to become a more resilient and agile organization - beyond team agility to organization agility. Or to quote General McChrystal “Teams can bring a measure of adaptability to previously rigid organizations. But these performance improvements have a ceiling as long as adaptable traits are limited to the team level.” I recommend this to executives especially who are trying to understand how they and the overall organization will need to change in order to become the organization they want it to be. This book covers the move in approach from the “scientific management” / “reductionist” and “command and control” view of managing an organization to one based on “common purpose” / “extreme transparency” and “de-centralized decision making”. “The role of the senior leader was no longer that of controlling puppet master, but rather that of an empathetic crafter of culture.” See [[team_of_teams_-_new_rules_of_engagement_for_a_complex_world_-_general_stanley_mcchrystal|Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World]] for more.|
+|[[http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Product-Process-Development-2nd-ebook/dp/B00IPNN1Z0/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442529993&sr=1-3&keywords=lean+product+development|Lean Product and Process Development]]|Allen Ward|SM, Manager|Advanced|Excellent but non-trivial read. Helps you understand the application of a lean thinking approach to the problem of new product development (i.e. invention). If you are interested in reducing your development time and resources use as much as four times, reducing the risk of quality problems, schedule and cost overruns, and failed products as much as 10 times, increasing innovation as much as 10 times, and reusing production systems and parts, slashing capital costs and improving quality. The book shows how to leverage learning and how working multiple design approaches (and deciding as late as possible) will improve solutions. This book combats the notion that phase gate approach to development does not result in improved results and that an approach based on pulling together a total system as an objective milestone makes sense. The last 1/4 of the book is a series of case studies at the end of the book are really interesting.|
+|[[http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Inc-Built-Workplace-People-ebook/dp/B00DMCW1FK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1451928284&sr=8-1|Joy, Inc: How We Built a Workplace People Love]]|Richard Sheridan|Manager|Foundational|Discusses how to establish a modern workplace for knowledge workers.|
+|[[http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Machine-Harley-Davidson-Profitability-Revolutionary-ebook/dp/B0038YY1EQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440185789&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lean+machine|The Lean Machine: How Harley-Davidson Drove Top-Line Growth and Profitability with Revolutionary Lean Product Development]]|Dantar P. Oosterwal|Manager|Intermediate|Brilliant book, just brilliant, if you are trying to understand how to implement "lean" type thinking approach to the problem of new product development. Its an easy read but that does not make it simplistic. There is a lot here that is practical, but more importantly it will help you understand the thinking approach you might want to consider.|
+|[[https://leanpub.com/actionableagilemetrics|Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability]]|Daniel S. Vacant|SM, Manager|Intermediate|There are two uses of this book: 1) To understand a small set of metrics which, if tracked correctly, will help you improve your process and 2) To understand how to interpret scatterplots, cumulative flow diagrams and so on, what to look for and how to address. This book is a little "anti-Scrum" (or rather anti point based estimating / velocity calculations) but still a valuable addition to understanding your delivery system.|
+|[[https://www.amazon.com/This-Lean-Resolving-Efficiency-Paradox-ebook/dp/B00JZZS7Q0/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=this+is+lean&qid=1606840481&s=digital-text&sr=1-1|This is Lean: Resolving the Efficency Paradox]]|Niklas Modig|Manager|Foundational|I thought this was a great book, a fabulous introduction to help you understand what lean is all about and, just as importantly, what it is not. It helps in understanding of Little's Law, Theory of Constraints, and why Flow Efficiency (and therefore “lean”) is changing how we think about things. The base premise is that lean is about “flow efficiency” as opposed to resources efficiency in how work gets done. Flow efficiency focuses on the amount of time it takes from identifying a need to satisfying that need, whereas resource efficiency focuses on efficiently using the resources that add value within an organization. Why is this important? For more than two hundred years, industrial development has been built around increasing the utilization of resources. Efficient use of resources has long been the most common way of looking at efficiency. It continues to dominate the way in which organizations in different industries and sectors are organized, controlled, and managed. From an economic perspective, it makes sense to strive for the most efficient possible use of resources. The reason for this is the opportunity cost. For more see [[this_is_lean_-_resolving_the_efficiency_paradox_-_niklas_modig|This is Lean: Resolving the Efficency Paradox]]|
+|[[http://www.amazon.com/Cultivating-Communities-Practice-Managing-Knowledge-ebook/dp/B004OEIQ7W/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443731599&sr=1-2&keywords=communities+of+practice|Cultivating Communities of Practice]]|Etienne Wenger|Manager|Intermediate|Once you have an Agile implementation at scale, you often have a new problem. Whereas before you had silos associated with the disciplines, now you have cross-functional teams, and it you are not careful you lose the ability to improve on discipline specific knowledge or worse, require that every team re-invents the discipline knowledge every time. One way to address this is to encourage the formation of Communities of Practice. This book will help you understand the background.|
+|[[http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates-ebook/dp/B004P1JDJO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442531160&sr=8-1|Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us]]|Dan Pink|Manager|Foundational|Your first step on a journey on how to really motivate people. Mastery, autonomy and purpose, not money (or at least not directly). For the "condensed version" see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc|Drive: The Surprising Truth About Motivation]] plus [[http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation?language=en|Dan Pink's TED Talk]]|
+|[[https://www.amazon.com/Implementing-Beyond-Budgeting-Unlocking-Performance-ebook/dp/B01HXJIY80/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31TGEME8CFY4L&dchild=1&keywords=implementing+beyond+budgeting&qid=1606840793&s=digital-text&sprefix=implementing+be%2Cdigital-text%2C165&sr=1-1|Implementing Beyond Budgeting: Unlocking the Performance Potential]]|Bjarte Bogsnes|Manager|Advanced|Just a great book if you want to understand how to work better with finance and HR. There is a lot here, and some of it may not be immediately something to work, but the ideas can be applied to a wide variety of situations. For more, see [[implementing_beyond_budgeting-_unlocking_the_performance_potential_by_bjarte_bogsnes_-_bjarne_bogsnes|Implementing Beyond Budgeting: Unlocking the Performance Potential]]|
 </sortable>
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