BOSTON—Spring saw the publication of ten new books authored or coauthored by HBS faculty and covering a wide array of topics.
How Will You Measure Your Life? (HarperBusiness, 2012)
by Prof. Clayton Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon
The authors discuss how people can equip themselves to lead the type of life to which they aspire. These are the same tools that have allowed managers to lead companies that have gone on to change the world.
Teaming: How Organizations Learn, innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy (Jossey-Bass, 2012)
by Amy C. Edmondson
Edmondson shows that organizations thrive, or fail to thrive, based on how well the small groups within those organizations work. The book includes case-study research on a number of organizations, including Prudential, GM, Toyota, IDEO, and the Internal Revenue Service.
Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business (Harvard Business Press, 2012)
by Frances Frei
Frei and Morriss demonstrate how, in a volatile economy where the old rules of strategic advantage no longer hold true, service must become a competitive weapon, not a damage-control function.
Talk, Inc.: How Trusted Leaders Use Conversation to Power their Organizations (Harvard Business Press, 2012)
by Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind
The authors show how trusted and effective leaders are adapting the principles of face-to-face conversation in order to pursue a new form of organizational conversation. They explore the promise of conversation-powered leadership--from the time-tested practice of talking straight (and listening well) to the thoughtful adoption of social media technology.
Venture Capital, Private Equity, and the Financing of Entrepreneurship (Harvard Business Press, 2012)
by Prof. Josh Lerner, Ann Leamon, and Prof. Felda Hardymon
This book provides a start-to-finish explanation of how private equity works. The authors discuss how PE creates value (and where it may destroy value, while delving into raising funds; considering, structuring, and overseeing transactions; and exiting investments.
The Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs (Harper Collins, 2012)
by Prof.Cynthia Montgomery
Montgomery helps readers develop the skills and sensibilities they need to become strategists in their organizations. It is a difficult role, she says, but little else one does as a leader is likely to matter more. A member of the School's Strategy Unit, Montgomery has spent many years teaching practitioners in the School's Executive Education programs.
Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work (Harvard Business Press, 2012)
by Prof.Leslie Perlow
In Sleeping with Your Smartphone, Perlow reveals how you can disconnect from your omnipresent electronic device and become more productive in the process. And while accomplishing more at work, wondrous to say, you can also devote more time to your personal life.
The Handbook for Teaching Leadership (Sage, 2012)
by Profs. Scott A. Snook, Rakesh Khurana and Nitin Nohria
This volume brings together leading international scholars from various disciplines to chronicle the current state of leadership education and establish a solid foundation on which to grow the field. It encourages leadership educators to explore and communicate more clearly the theoretical underpinnings and conceptual assumptions on which their approaches are based.
The Founder's Dilemnas: Anticipating and Avoiding Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup (Princeton Press, 2012)
by Prof. Noam Wasserman
Drawing on a decade of research, Wasserman lists the common pitfalls founders face and how to avoid them. He looks at whether it is a good idea to cofound with friends or relatives, how and when to split the equity within the founding team, and how to recognize when a successful founder-CEO should exit or be fired.
Strategic IQ: Creating Smarter Corporations (Jossey-Bass, 2012)
by Prof. John Wells
In his latest book, Wells discusses how firms must constantly adapt their strategies to survive and how many companies are struggling to do so. Instead they hesitate, or stick blindly to their old strategies until they find themselves in crisis.
