The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the PetroSaudi 1MDB controversy about? How did it all begin? How was Jho Low involved? In Billion Dollar Whale, Tom Wright and Bradley Hope explain how a young Malaysian businessman convinced his country’s prime minister to invest billions of dollars in a deal with PetroSaudi. The deal ultimately led to what we now know as the PetroSaudi 1MDB controversy. Read on to learn about the PetroSaudi 1MDB business deal, according to Wright and Hope.
What’s the relationship between experimentation and innovation? Why is it useful to take things apart? How can you figure out what will work in the future? In The Innovator’s DNA, Hal Gregersen, Jeff Dyer, and Clayton Christensen describe five behaviors and skills—what they call Discovery Skills—that are most likely to generate creative ideas. One of these is experimentation. Read more to understand how experimentation in business is critical for innovation and to learn four ways to experiment with new ideas.
Why do most people work 40 hours per week? Are there benefits of a shorter workweek? The traditional 40-hour workweek is designed to keep employees productive and dedicated to the job, but it actually does the opposite. Instead, working an excessive amount of hours makes employees exhausted and less motivated. The solution is to form a shorter week that prioritizes employees’ happiness and health. Below we’ll look at reasons why a shorter workweek is beneficial and what can be done to implement it.
What’s behind the huge number of Dollar General stores? Are dollar stores capitalizing on poverty or adding value to society? Dollar stores are the fastest-growing food retailers in the US and are working to become the top dog of one-stop-shopping for America’s poorest citizens. In particular, the number of Dollar General stores is exploding as the retailer opens three new stores a day. Read on to learn what’s behind this massive number of Dollar General stores and why it has some experts concerned.
Why is innovation important in business? What kind of innovation makes the most difference? Innovative businesses change the world. In The Innovator’s DNA, Hal Gregersen, Jeff Dyer, and Clayton Christensen explain how to drive meaningful change by embedding into your organizations and teams the key skills that are shared by the world’s most innovative business leaders. Read on to learn about the importance of innovation in business.
Looking for an overview of Actionable Gamification by Yu-Kai Chou? Why are businesses turning to game mechanics to motivate customers and employees? Games have the power to unlock deep reserves of human motivation that drive customer and employee behavior. In Actionable Gamification, Yu-Kai Chou explains why many businesses that try to incorporate game elements into their business strategy end up failing. Keep reading for a brief overview of Actionable Gamification by Yu-Kai Chou.
Which of your skills should you focus on if you want to be a disruptive innovator? Do you network for ideas and brainstorm for questions? Hal Gregersen, Jeff Dyer, and Clayton Christensen explore why innovation in business is so important. They outline the five behaviors and skills you can adopt to cultivate innovative thinking and explain how to drive meaningful change by embedding these behaviors and skills into your organizations and teams. Continue reading for our overview of The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators.
What are gamification rewards? What are the different types? How can you use gamification in your business? According to Yu-kai Chou, gamification rewards can make or break a game, and designing them effectively for your business can be a challenge. In his book Actionable Gamification, he explains that the key to motivating players with rewards is randomness and mystery. Read on to learn how to design the most effective gamification rewards, according to Chou.
How can the five Discovery Skills make you a disruptive innovator? Is it necessary to master all five? What’s the most important one? Creative thinking is crucial to innovation. The authors of The Innovator’s DNA describe five behaviors and skills—what they call “Discovery Skills”—that are most likely to generate creative ideas. These are associative thinking, questioning, observing, idea networking, and experimenting. Keep reading to learn the five Discovery Skills, a couple of important considerations about them, and tips for practicing each one.
What’s QuestionStorming? How can it unlock ideas and solutions you’d never find otherwise? In The Innovator’s DNA, Hal Gregersen, Jeff Dyer, and Clayton Christensen identify five key skills that are shared by the world’s most innovative business leaders. One of these skills is questioning, and the authors recommend a technique called QuestionStorming to develop and implement this skill. Read more to learn how you can use QuestionStorming to find innovative solutions.