12.7.09 Recommended business and marketing books for 2009 (so far)
For those who missed it, my friend and colleague Nicholas Ind has come out with a new book, The Organic Organisation. If you’ve ever read any of Nicholas’s work in the past, you’ll know he is one of the most lucid thinkers and authors in the branding world. And he can back up every one of his assertions with real research.
The Organic Organisation is based on his Ph.D. research, and while the word brand isn’t used in a big way, the themes are very clear. From the introduction, The Organic Organisation’s core idea is that organizations exist to provide fulfilment. It’s an idea that I happen to believe in, but this book goes far further. By being organic, where the individual and organization are working together, people can discover their purpose. It also explores ‘the ontology of organisations’, where the traditional relationship where the person is considered untrustworthy, is ultimately damaging to the organization as well as the potential for creativity and fulfilment. It is a must-buy, and is out at Amazon UK. Nicholas isn’t the only Medinge director with a new book. Patrick Harris’s The Truth about Creativity is being released shortly. This new book explores a related idea: that creativity is ‘key to finding new solutions and developing dynamic solutions.’ This can be harnessed to benefit the organization. Patrick’s credentials are also very impressive: he oversaw the activities of the Orange strategic think-tank before going out on his own at Thoughtengine, which deals with strategy and solid, futures’ based work. His book will be out at Amazon UK this month. Finally, if I may give one more push for my friend Stefan Engeseth’s latest book, which I had the honour of working on. Called The Fall of PR and the Rise of Advertising, the title is a cheeky take on (though not a full disagreement of) Al Ries’s earlier work. (In the foreword, you discover that he got Ries’s permission to use this title.) Stefan argues that half a decade on from Ries, PR’s effectiveness has somewhat become limited, and he uses the same techniques he employed in his earlier Detective Marketing and One books to reveal novel things companies can employ in the new media landscape. You have the option of downloading an electronic version for free or buying it via Amazon.com. As to my writing work, you’ll have to hold on. I have a small contribution to a title in India this year, which I will blog about in due course. Posted by Jack Yan, 01:23 Comments:
I heartily recommend it, Simon. Not really like The Starfish and the Spider. I would say Nicholas is more rigorous in backing up his arguments, and is more structured. While he is a very clear and brilliant writer, it doesn’t come across as a script as much (Starfish has a sense that the narrative is very important, more so than the principles).
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
|
NoteEntries from 2006 to the end of 2009 were done on the Blogger service. As of January 1, 2010, this blog has shifted to a Wordpress installation, with the latest posts here.With Blogger ceasing to support FTP publishing on May 1, I have decided to turn these older pages in to an archive, so you will no longer be able to enter comments. However, you can comment on entries posted after January 1, 2010. Quick linksAdd feedsIndividual JY&A and Medinge Group blogs+ Previous posts |
||
DonateIf you wish to help with my hosting costs, please feel free to donate. |
|||
Copyright ©200210 by Jack Yan & Associates. All rights reserved. Photograph of Jack Yan by Chelfyn Baxter. |