September 2023 MBR The Business Shelf

The Business Shelf

Autonomous Transformation
Brian Evergreen
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781119985297, $30.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Autonomous-Transformation-Creating-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1119985293

Synopsis: We are in the midst of an unprecedented degree of technology-driven changes at the same time that society faces challenges more complex than our organizations and we as individuals have been prepared to handle.

We have all borne witness to the changes, for better and for worse, that technology has had on society, our nations, cities, the nature of work, and the human experience -- but technology is neither the hero nor the villain of this story.

"Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence" by Brian Evergreen is critically important reader for business and governmental leaders who want to create a better future within this context of change and supplies a balance of historical and theoretical context with practical frameworks for beginning to create a more human future today.

"Autonomous Transformation" provides a blueprint for leaders and managers who have aspired or attempted to harness artificial intelligence and its adjacent technologies for the betterment of their organization and the world, weaving strategy, management thinking, economics, systemic design, and philosophy into actionable steps with accompanying frameworks to create and sustain 'Profitable Good'.

Critique: A timely and much needed contribution to our current and on-going debates over AI, in terms of its potential benefits and possible drawbacks, "Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence" will have a special relevance for readers with an interest in strategic business systems and planning. Highly recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, corporate, college, and university library Artificial Intelligence & Semantics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, corporate executives, business managers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Autonomous Transformation" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).

Editorial Note: Brian Evergreen (https://brianevergreen.com) is best known for his work advising FORTUNE 500 executives on artificial intelligence strategy. Building on his experiences working at Accenture, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft, Brian guest lectures at Purdue University and the Kellogg School of Management and is a Senior Fellow in the Economy, Strategy, and Finance Center of The Conference Board, sharing the unconventional and innovative methods and frameworks he developed leading and advising Digital Transformation initiatives at many of the world's most valuable companies. Brian is also the founder of The Profitable Good Company, a leadership advisory company that partners with and equips leaders to harness the economic and societal of technology by creating a more human future in the era of artificial intelligence.

Diversity Dividend
Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio
The MIT Press
www.mitpress.mit.edu
9780262048408, $29.95, HC, 256

https://www.amazon.com/Diversity-Dividend-Transformational-Changes-Everyone/dp/026204840X

Synopsis: Every business leader endeavors to invest in and manage their key asset (talent) to be as high-performing as possible. Like a winning stock, successful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) actions pay back over time. That dividend is paid both to the company (through not only higher performance but also talent acquisition, training, and other savings) and to society in general.

With the publication of "Diversity Dividend: The Transformational Power of Small Changes to Debias Your Company, Attract Diverse Talent, Manage Everyone Better and Make More Money" leadership expert Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio offers a fresh, detailed look at how to realize gender and racial equity along the company-employee pathway ranging from attracting and interviewing applicants to onboarding, promoting, and sustaining hires -- as well as how to remove systemic barriers at the organizational level that prevent women and underrepresented groups from advancing.

While other books have delved into DEI and the challenges inherent in sustaining successful efforts, no other book has done so in concert with the depth and scope of data, basis in science, and application in the real world. In "Diversity Dividend", Cecchi-Dimeglio artfully combines accessible anecdotal cases (where success was achieved or where, despite best intentions and efforts, things did not go as expected) with scientifically rigorous solutions as well as applications of data and big data.

As empowering as it is comprehensive, "Diversity Dividend" helps remove the guesswork and near-superstition that naturally arise when some methods work and others fail, thereby giving leaders the tools and insight to make informed choices at the right moments to create lasting change.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informative twenty-two page Introduction, an eight page Conclusion, a six page listing of Acknowledgments, forty-six pages of Notes, and a six page Index, "Diversity Dividend: The Transformational Power of Small Changes to Debias Your Company, Attract Diverse Talent, Manage Everyone Better and Make More Money" will have a special relevance and an enduring value for readers with an interest in Business Ethics, Workplace Culture, and General Gender Studies. While highly recommended for inclusion into personal, professional, community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Diversity Dividend" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).

Editorial Note: Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, PhD, LLM, MSc, JD, is a leading authority on helping senior leaders make more inclusive decisions for themselves and their organizations, having advised some of the largest for-profit and nonprofit companies in the world. An award-winning expert on behavioral and data science, big data and AI, race and gender, and leadership strategy, she holds dual appointments at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School, where she serves as faculty chair of the Executive Leadership Research Initiative for Women and Minority Attorneys. (https://www.paolacecchidimeglio.com)

The Financial Times Guide to High-Impact Negotiation
Kasia Jagodzinska
Pearson
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.pearson.com
9781292400389, $36.50, PB, 202pp

https://www.amazon.com/High-Impact-Negotiation-Kasia-Jagodzinska/dp/1292400382

Synopsis: A compendium of strategy, tactics and templates to prepare for high-impact negotiations that result in successful long-lasting deals, "The Financial Times Guide to High-Impact Negotiation: A Comprehensive Guide for Executing Valuable Deals and Partnerships" by Dr. Kasia Jagodzinska provides a comprehensive and strategic roadmap to the whole negotiation process from preparation to execution. Novice and experienced executives and deal makers alike can follow the practical steps to complete negotiation successfully, build relationships and finalize their deals.

Critique: Exceptionally and impressively 'user friendly' in style, organization and presentation, "The Financial Times Guide to High-Impact Negotiation: A Comprehensive Guide for Executing Valuable Deals and Partnerships" is a complete DIY course of instruction in the art of the deal. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, and academic library Business Negotiation/Planning collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "The Financial Times Guide to High-Impact Negotiation: A Comprehensive Guide for Executing Valuable Deals and Partnerships" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $30.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Kasia Jagodzinska (https://www.negotiationbooster.com) strongly believes that personal empowerment bridged with tactical preparation is the key to success. She combines an academic career with international business advisory in the field of negotiations. She also serves as a Senior Adviser to the United Nations in Geneva where she assist in multi-stakeholder negotiations.

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