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Classics on the Future
These are books we believe are classics in the field of futurism,
strategy, and philosophy:
These books available for purchase in association with Amazon.com.
Click on the title or the cover image if you're interested in purchasing
the book.
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Good to Great -
by Jim Collins; Hardcover
"Why some companies make the leap...and others don't" is an appropriate description of this extensively-researched and
enlightening book on how to build not just a good, but a great company. Collins is the author of "Built to Last" and sees
this book as a prequel to his last effort. The story centers on 11 companies that provided the strongest and best-sustained
growth in shareholder value. There are no dot-coms or even General Electrics in the bunch. Surprisingly, these are
corporations that perform in some notably overlooked industries like steel, paper, banking, and supermarkets. But the insights
about leadership, focus, discipline, niche, and execution make for fascinating reading helped along by Collins' wonderful
flair for storytelling. I've worked with three of the clients on the list: Abbott Laboratories, Gillette, and Wells Fargo. This
book helps add a new strategic dimension to what I already know about the organizations.
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Finite and Infinite Games
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- James P. Carse / Paperback / Published 1994
I have to include this book in my recommended reading. I first read Carse's thought-provoking
metaphor of life back in 1985 during a sabbatical. It changed my concept of philosophy, gave me
new insights to business, and a wonderful model of how profound thought can be elegantly expressed
with simple words. Today I use the book to demonstrate to my speaking and futurist colleagues
how one can place an entirely new perspective on an over-described subject. Worth multiple readings.
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Rewiring the Corporate Brain : Using the New Science to Rethink How We Structure and Lead Organizations - Danah Zohar; Hardcover
Absolutely superb. Must reading for an individual either undergoing or supervising change in
an organization. Written with humility and insight. Full of examples from Zohar's consulting work.
She is the only author I've ever seen who quotes from my favorite work of philosophy, James Carse's
"Finite and Infinite Games."
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The Art of the Long View : Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World
- Peter Schwartz / Paperback / Published 1996
A classic. Should be on the shelf of any individual involved in strategic planning. Fully explains
the technique of scenario development as a planning tool. From the leading scenarist in the world.
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What is Strategy and does it matter?
- Richard Whittington / Paperback / Published 1993
Classic work on the alternative approaches to strategy and planning. Although it's academic in approach,
Whittington is compelling in his analysis. This is the book I recommend to clients who believe that they should
only consider a militaristic, deterministic "we can achieve anything we set as a goal" approach. Whittington
provides summary and clarity to the four models of classic, processual, evolutionary, and systemic approaches
to strategy that have emerged respectively in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. Important reading.
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Books on the future
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New additions to our book recommendations
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What books Bob is reading right now.
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Books we recommend for their broad perspective and
usefulness in developing a personal scanning system.
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Books recommended in our E-mail Alerts and from our subscribers
to the Alerts.
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