Recommended Books

The books below are all excellent places to start if you'd like to go deeper into the history of corporations. The Amazon affiliate links* will bring you to each book's current listing.

Principles of Scientific Management (Frederick Taylor)

This classic is one of the earliest treatments of organizational theory. It is foundational and helps any reader understand current day organizations in light of the way companies first emerged over 100 years ago, especially how 1) employees eventually wound up on assembly lines doing very small segments of work over and over again, and 2) everything in organizational life eventually was dictated by the clock. See its current listing here.

General and Industrial Management (Henri Fayol)

Like Frederick Taylor and Max Weber, Henri Fayol was an early Organizational Theorist with a specialization in Management. His book is another foundational reading for understanding how current management philosophy is still being influenced by thinkers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. See its current listing on Amazon here.

The Social Psychology of Organizing (Karl Weick)

This was a foundational book for Weick, an instant classic. See its current Amazon listing here. He builds his own ideas on top of a systems theory philosophy to articulate a whole new way of understanding organizations.

Sensemaking in Organizations (Karl Weick)

This hard-to-find book pulls together an in-depth treatment of Weick's Sensemaking concept. He draws from his own work as well as others who have extended his ideas in new ways. See its current availability here.

Managing the Unexpected (Karl Weick & K. M. Sutcliffe)

This book is a must-have read for anybody working in organizations where things must be done right. See its current Amazon listing here. In it, Weick explains the features of High Reliability Organizations (HROs) and the ways that successful organizations avert disaster and save lives despite their high-risk work. He examines Air Craft Carriers, Nuclear Power Plants, Emergency Room, Fire Fighting Units, and many other HROs to unpack how they anticipate and contain emerging crises, how they sustain vigilance when everything is going well, and how they train and reward their people when they bring small failures to light.

Leadership: A Communication Perspective (Hackman & Johnson)

Hackman and Johnson's leadership book provides an excellent, comprehensive look at leadership theory and research but it also has a very practical side. See the current listing here. It is available in many editions and any version of this text would be a great starting place to provide foundational understanding of the full range of leadership perspectives in the literature, particularly those that lean toward a communication-based approach. See its current listing here.

So Smart But . . .: How Intelligent People Lose Credibility and How They Can Gain it Back! (Weiner)

This book is by far my favorite communication and leadership book because of its focus on practical skills. In contrast to the theory-rich books above, it's filled with useful templates, tips, and resources for taking any professional's communication to the next level. It is fantastic for teachers and students who want to add a practical element to their learning experience. See its current listing here.

*An Amazon affiliate link represents is a partnership between Amazon and the party referring readers or viewers to Amazon. Essentially, it does not cost customers more and Amazon pays a very small % for the referral that helps fund this website and associated Youtube channel.