Positive Organizational Behavior By Editors, Debra L. Nelson and Cary L. Cooper

Since the early 90s, a charged-up group of psychologists have been deconstructing the search for pathology that has characterized their field and rebuilding it. Their work is described as "positive psychology"...

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Our Iceberg Is Melting By John Kotter, Holger Rathgeber

No penguin is left behind, not even the nay sayers, as the birds become a regular poster colony of creatures who acknowledge their plight and, together, find a solution. Highly entertaining, highly worthwhile analogy for workplace change and adaptation.

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The Cathedral And The Bazaar By Eric S. Raymond

Author Eric S. Raymond explores the sociology of hackerdom (the good and the bad) and the open source software movement, which he calls a gift culture in which people compete for status by the size and value of the programming “gifts” they contribute. It is a self-organizing production system, operating under mutually agreed principles, with acknowledged spiritual leaders but without command-and-control.

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The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling More of Less By Chris Anderson

The Long Tail phenomenon clearly has big implications for the future of labor and human resources management. Many emerging niches, Anderson points out, are being created by self-organizing, voluntary peer production networks.

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The Google Story By David Vise and Mark Malseed

From a human resources point of view, the book offers two points of interest. First, it describes the evolution of Google’s famed workplace policies, such as 20% free time for pursuit of ideas and inventions. It also provides a fairly good insight into recruiting practices. It includes a copy of the GLAT (Google Labs Aptitude Test), the unusual standardized test the company uses to identify what, in its own blog, it calls “uber-geeks.”

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The World is Flat By Thomas Friedman

In this thought-provoking work Friedman offers ten “flatteners” that are redefining social systems worldwide. It's not hard to see that HR will get a front row seat on some very divisive business and social issues.

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A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age By Daniel H. Pink

Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation, offers a tour of the brain and goes on to suggest a mindset that will help the ambitious as well as the displaced and dismayed get a grip on their careers in the current career environment. (How’s that for a whole new mind?)

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Freakonomics By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

What does the field of economics offer a human resources practitioner? For those of us who work in the area of compensation and incentives, the premise of Freakonomics is highly relevant.

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Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most By Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen of the Harvard Negotiation Project

We recommend this book for as “basic training” for anyone who has faced the prospect of speaking with bosses, co-workers, employees about negative workplace behaviors, skill deficits, attitude issues, interpersonal conflicts, or blind spots.

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Never Be Lied to Again By David Lieberman, Ph.D.

Lies are a fact of life, and that’s no lie. As managers or Human Resources practitioners, we often depend on our abilities to detect and deal with half-truths, obfuscations, and outright lies of all types and sizes. Though the book is written from a general perspective, it contains many workplace examples and skills that are critical to our personal success.

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