Dave’s Picks: Seeing What’s Next, by Chris Christensen et al, The Medici Effect, by Frans Johansson, and, from the S+B list, Lawrence Lessig’s Free Culture
(available for free download, but if you can afford to buy it for your
library, please do). Christensen’s book, the follow-up to The Innovator’s Dilemma and The Innovator’s Solution,
explains how to predict the future of your industry and anticipate
future needs and competitive threats. It’s basically a book on how to
do good research, with an eye on the future rather than the past. On
the technology side, my favourite this year is The Power of Many, by Christian Crumlish, a great primer for those who want to know how to use (and how not to use) the Internet and its social networking technologies to improve networks and connectivity.
The whole piece, which is a response to Strategy + Business’s list, is worth reading (and saving), if only for the insight it gives into the influences Dave synthesizes in his cutting-edge analysis of sustainable economic practices and right living.