Turning over a new leaf
Jul, 2009
What do the MBS faculty think you should be reading this year?
Check out the following titles on leadership, human behaviour and research… MBS faculty recommend their best reads in 2009.
Don’t forget that as a graduate you have lifelong access to the School library, and can also continue to borrow books by signing-up to the School’s LiaISe program . 
Negotiation Genius: How to overcome obstacles and achieve brilliant results at the bargaining table and beyond.
by Deepak Malhotra & Max H Bazerman; Harvard Business School, 2007.
Crammed full of practical advice founded on rock solid research. Malhotra and Bazerman really know how to communicate as they incorporate the most recent research into a stream of logical advice for executives at all levels. This is compulsory and stimulating reading for anyone who recognises that negotiation is a core life skill.
John Onto, Professorial Fellow (Professor of Negotiations), Email j.onto@mbs.edu
The Social Atom
by Mark Buchanan (2007)
Buchanan is a theoretical physicist who writes engaging prose, peppered with lots of compelling examples. His message: if you want to understand human behaviour, think like a quantum physicist and look for patterns and the simple rules that create them. Don't get over focused on individuals and their motives. Those who have read the "Fifth Discipline" or "Tipping Point" will recognize the importance of looking for feedback loops and the dynamics of human systems as predictors of human behavior.
Robert Wood, Professor & Director, Accelerated Learning Laboratory, Email: r.wood@mbs.edu
The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization
by Peter M. Senge
This recently revised book was a bestseller 15 years ago and is still relevant today. One of the toughest tasks for leaders in effecting change is to mobilize people to address adaptive challenges which are systemic problems with no easy answers. In this case existing knowledge and procedures are ineffective and leaders must help their organizations to develop new strategies and learn new ways of operating. Senge’s book shows leaders how to think systematically and intervene strategically to help their followers make progress on adaptive challenges in a complex world. In particular, I recommend chapter 9 on mental models (the unconscious assumptions we hold) that shows leaders how to develop sensemaking skills through reflection, advocacy and inquiry.
Dr. Carol Gill, Program Director - Organisational Leadership, Email: c.gill@mbs.edu
Company
by Max Barry
Company is a light-hearted (though slightly creepy) story of a company that takes evidence-based management to it's illogical conclusions. Max Barry is a Melbourne author who claims he is completely unknown in Australia and slightly less completely unknown in the US. His other novels include Syrup (a great - fantasy - story of greed, innovation, bad language and lust in the corridors of the Coca Cola Company) and Jennifer Government (futuristic novel set in Melbourne).
I make no guarantees that you'll like the slightly zany sense of humour in these books, but if you're at a loose end I recommend a look at this author.
Jenny George, Associate Professor, Acting Dean & Director, Email: j.george@mbs.edu
Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion
Joshua (Josh) Angrist & Jörn-Steffen (Steve) Pischke
Geared at researchers but accessible to people who have done a stats course as part of their MBA. Good insights and a chance to go a bit deeper into understanding how to interpret empirical relationships in the "real world" around them.
Kwanghui Lim, Senior Lecturer, Email: k.lim@mbs.edu
The Brain That Changes Itself
Norman Doidge, MD
Doidge is a psychoanalyst with an interest in neuroscience who explains through case studies the remarkable powers of the brain and the mind. This book has been a surprise best seller and is written in a moving and sometimes profound way, drawing on Doidge's own experiences with friends and family as well as clients. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with a scientific or humanistic interest in how people change.
Amanda Sinclair, Foundation Professor Management Diversity & Change, a.sinclair@mbs.edu
