Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy

by Amy C. Edmondson
(Jossey-Bass)

The Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Edmondson says that organizations thrive, or fail to thrive, based on how well their teams work. Since teams and other dynamic groups don’t learn naturally—because of interpersonal fear, irrational beliefs about failure, groupthink, problematic power dynamics, and information hoarding—Edmondson shows how to overcome these barriers. She explains how collaborative learning works and gives tips on how to do it well.

Talk, Inc.: How Trusted Leaders Use Conversation to Power Their Organizations

by Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind
(Harvard Business Review Press)

How can leaders make their big or growing companies feel small again? How can they recapture the “magic”—the tight strategic alignment, the high level of employee engagement—that drove their organization when it was a start-up? The answer lies in the power of conversation. Professor Groysberg and his coauthor explore the promise of conversation-powered leadership, from the practice of talking straight (and listening well) to the adoption of emerging social media. They offer guidance on how to balance the benefits of open-ended talk with the realities of strategic execution.

Venture Capital, Private Equity, and the Financing of Entrepreneurship

by Josh Lerner, Ann Leamon, and Felda Hardymon
(Wiley & Sons)

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Private equity—defined in this book as venture capital and buyouts but excluding hedge funds—has become a much larger, more influential part of the global economy over the past two decades. The authors—Lerner, the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking; Leamon, an HBS teaching fellow; and Hardymon, the MBA Class of 1975 Professor of Management Practice—explain how the world of private equity works, from start to finish, how it creates value, and where it may destroy value. They discuss raising funds; considering, structuring, and overseeing transactions; and exiting investments. The focus is on both the US market and the increasingly global nature of these activities.

Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work

by Leslie A. Perlow
(Harvard Business Review Press)

Perlow, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, delves into the new connected world of work and challenges the notion that managers must be constantly plugged in to be successful. In fact, this 24/7 mentality is counterproductive. Based on an experiment she conducted at the Boston Consulting Group as well as other research, Perlow recommends a radical yet simple idea: take “disconnected” time off, and both individuals and teams will benefit. Employees are more satisfied with their work-life balance and with their work in general. And firms are better able to recruit and retain employees. Perlow provides a step-by-step guide to introducing change of this sort within organizations.

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