Career and Workplace

These Aren't Beach Books, but Managers Should Read Them Anyway

As you contemplate your summer reading, consider these recent books from Harvard Business School management scholars that can boost your career and improve on-the-ground management skills.

A Good Place to Start

Driving Digital Strategy
Sunil Gupta explores how traditional businesses can make the leap into the digital age.

American Capitalism: New Histories
Historians are taking a new look at capitalism in light of its adoption in most of the developed world. Sven Beckert and Christine Desan dive into the evolution of these new historic perspectives.

The Fearless Organization
To do their best work, people need to feel secure and safe in their workplace, argues Amy C. Edmondson.

Rebel Talent
Francesca Gino argues that companies should encourage rebellion in their workplaces. Quiz: Discover what type of rebel you really are.

Food Citizenship
The public is losing trust in many institutions involved in putting food on our table, says Ray A. Goldberg.

Being the Boss: The Three Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader
Linda Hill explains how the digital workplace is generating greater burdens on managers but also creating new opportunities to shine.

Varieties of Green Business: Industries, Nations and Time
Making a business successful is a challenge in itself, but making a green business profitable is an even harder journey, says Geoffrey Jones.

The Gift of Global Talent
William R. Kerr’s book explores why global talent flows matter to national economic development and security

Trust: Creating the Foundation for Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries
Legal and social institutions that support entrepreneurs often aren't well established in developing countries. The answer, says Tarun Khanna, is that startups must create their own trust.

Fintech, Small Business, & the American Dream
Karen Mills describes how technology is opening up new capital for entrepreneurs.

Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation
Large companies can be easy targets for disruption, but Gary Pisano  says there are ways to stay ahead of the innovation curve.

Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level
James Sebenius explains the art of Henry Kissinger’s dealmaking.

Problem Solving: HBS Alumni Making a Difference in the World
Using business to create social change has been at the center of many entrepreneurial efforts by Harvard Business School alumni. Howard Stevenson discusses their pragmatic approaches to overcoming long odds.

Unlocking the Customer Value Chain
Technology doesn't drive disruption—customers do, writes Thales Teixeira.

The Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation, and Power
David Yoffie and colleagues reveal the principles that have made platform businesses the most valuable firms in the world and the first trillion-dollar companies.

Please share below which titles are on your summer reading list.

Latest from HBS faculty experts

Expertly curated insights, precisely tailored to address the challenges you are tackling today.

Strategy and Innovation

Social Responsibility

Diversity and Inclusion