Book Report: Spring Reading for a Changing Business Landscape
Published: April 04, 2012 in Knowledge@Wharton
Spring cleaning offers an opportunity to go through our bookshelves -- virtual and otherwise -- to find old favorites and make room for new ones. In our latest book report, we offer reviews, interviews and excerpts that touch on strategic, cultural and industry-specific trends that are changing the way we do business.
Wharton professor Adam Grant talks with Susan Cain about her bestselling book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, in which she challenges the "Extrovert Ideal" and encourages companies to rethink their cultures in order to draw on the valuable contributions of the quieter set.
Two interviews provide insights into the defining changes that technology has brought to very different industries. Joseph Turow, author of The Daily You: How the Advertising Industry Is Defining Your Identity and Your Worth talks with Knowledge@Wharton about "one of history's most massive stealth efforts in social profiling." C. William Hanson, III, director of surgical intensive care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, interviews Eric Topol about his new book, The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care.
Additional features dissect the DNA of three very different companies: Adam Lashinsky, author of Inside Apple, shares some of the company's most closely guarded secrets; The Bloomberg Way, a writing guide for reporters and editors, offers a window into how editorial decisions are made at Bloomberg News; and Richard Branson's autobiography, Losing My Virginity, paints an irreverent picture of how the founder and CEO of Virgin Atlantic Airways created an unusual and highly successful group of companies.
Finally, we offer excerpts from two recently published books. Phil McKinney's Beyond the Obvious argues that we need to ask more questions to generate new ideas and unlock breakthrough innovations.But in Repeatability, Chris Zook and James Allen remind us that we shouldn't favor broad changes over continuing to repeat what is working. We hope you enjoy this special section.
