Some book recommendations on decision making, innovation and productivity:
Kayt Sukel (2016) The Art of Risk: The New Science of Courage, Caution, and Chance
A very readable overview of current research on the neuroscience of risk, illustrated with personal stories and some inspiring interviews with risk takers and scientists.
Charles Duhigg (2016). Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business.
Important insights into how organizations can foster better productivity and innovation. For my taste, the book relied very heavily on anecdotes though, to the extent that I found it difficult to identify key takeaways.
Philip Tetlock & Dan Gardner (2015). Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction.
A convincing case that – while even experts usually make poor predictions about the future – forecasting is a skill that can be improved. Good forecasting doesn’t require powerful computers either. However, it does involve gathering evidence from a variety of sources, thinking probabilistically, working in teams, keeping score, and being willing to admit error and change course.
Drew Boyd & Jacob Goldenberg (2013). Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results.
This book does a great job demystifying the creative process. It shows how innovation can come from a structured process, using a set of templates that channel creative thinking. The techniques are derived from research that discovered a surprising set of common patterns shared by inventive solutions.
Those are some of the books I’ve read recently and found worthwhile. Which other ones would you recommend I add to my own summer reading list?
by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), at Teuscher Decision Coaching, Portland OR