Management-Business – Page 5 – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Working for You Isn’t Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss

By Scott J. Pearson | May 27, 2024May 27, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Although I write a lot of book reviews, I usually don’t review psychology-related books because their value is so subjective. The things that are most valuable to me as a worker in a non-psychological enterprise aren’t necessarily valuable to everyone else. Thus, I have a hard time ascertaining a psychology-related book’s general worth. However, this book is an exception. Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster offer workplace advice that pertains to almost everyone. They investigate dealing…

Mastering Collaboration: Make Working Together Less Painful & More Productive

By Scott J. Pearson | May 19, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Many modern problems must be solved in teams, so healthy organizations must prioritize social issues to the fore. Yet sometimes, it seems that modern culture has done worse, not better, at limiting stress and anxiety. These problems are heightened in technical fields where workers often address scientific issues, rather than people issues. To answer these troubling questions, Gretchen Anderson, a Harvard-educated Silicon Valley executive, lends her voice from decades of experience leading teams to develop…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Transforming IT Culture: How to Use Social Intelligence, Human Factors & Collaboration to Create an IT Department That Outperforms

By Scott J. Pearson | May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

I liked this book a lot. It’s labeled as a part of a “CIO Series,” but that’s really a mislabel. It’s for anyone working with software developers who has to navigate a distinct company culture. It’s especially geared for those who want to mold that culture for good. Software development is a tricky industry. Good people are hard to find, and they often don’t have a stereotypical personality – especially if they’re really talented. Yet…

Economics Management-Business Society

Thinking in Systems: A Primer

By Scott J. Pearson | April 27, 2024April 27, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Systems thinking is en vogue these days as we increasingly realize how complex the world really is. Too many manage enterprises based on small rules and adages, but neglect to see how the bigger picture works. Then they are surprised when their interventions end up with a different effect. That’s because the rest of the world works systemically through feedback loops. The small game is not the only relevant factor. Before she died, Dartmouth professor…

Indie Management-Business

Beyond the Office Walls: A Practical Guide for Remote Tech Team Excellence

By Scott J. Pearson | April 22, 2024April 22, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Remote work has been a trend for a long time as Internet technology inundated homes. Working as a developer in health IT, I have often troubleshot issues from home via my laptop for over a decade. Writing software, I’ve interacted with people all over the globe from my kitchen table or personal office for a long time. The recent COVID pandemic forced the wider workplace to catch up with these trends. As the health threat…

Leadership Management-Business Software-Technology

Engineering Management for the Rest of Us

By Scott J. Pearson | April 18, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Engineering management books can sometimes be a bit technical, like the field of engineering itself. Of course, it’s no surprise that engineers often view the task as one of exacting competence – like their work. Yet management can, in truth, be its own thing because it deals with people. Humans pose their own set of challenges, and few can speak authoritatively about both realms. Thus, few good books exist in this domain. Unfortunately, many engineers…

Management-Business Software-Technology

An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management

By Scott J. Pearson | April 12, 2024April 12, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Engineering presents unique challenges to managers. Not only are engineering managers usually picked from those who work primarily with objects, but they also receive little training in the discipline. Having little training reinforces a dynamic where little training material is also available to the next generation. To fill this void, Will Larson provides a succinct introduction to the field. His perspective aims to inform from a systems perspective – that is, by observing how managerial…

History Leadership Society

For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts’ Advice to Women

By Scott J. Pearson | March 30, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

I grew up in a conservative home in a conservative state with a religion that enshrined conservatism more than Christianity. Fortunately, I was allowed to read, and reading has become a salvation of sorts. As I’ve aged and expanded my horizons, I’ve nonetheless grown concerned that I might have picked up some bad habits along the way. I’m recognized as an expert in my field, but I strive not to be one that oppresses others.…

Management-Business Software-Technology

The Software Hiring Handbook: The Software Developer’s Guide to Conducting a Job Interview

By Scott J. Pearson | March 14, 2024March 14, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

As Michael Kahn states in this book’s introduction, there exist many guides to giving interviews generally along with guides to being interviewed about software development, but there are few guides to giving interviews specifically to developers. This 2006 book tries to fill that niche. It is short and certainly not comprehensive – as if that were even possible. But it advances wisdom that people like me need in finding a software developer, especially for the…

Management-Business

The Future of Work: Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review

By Scott J. Pearson | February 6, 2024February 6, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

The Coronavirus pandemic provided a great challenge for modern business and introduced new challenges for us all to address. Post-pandemic, business is working through which novelties are good to keep and which to discard. Among these are remote work, artificial intelligence, ESG (environment, social, and governance), and social justice movements (like DEI, or diversity, equity, and inclusion). This book, compiled by Harvard Business Review (HBR), seeks to help business leaders make smarter decisions by understanding…