Ten top tech books, as recommended by our industry experts
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If you’re like our team and always on the lookout for the next great read, look no further! We asked a passionate group of Payworks technology executives for their ideas, and most couldn’t pick just one. Before we turn the page on another National Book Lovers Day (that’s today!), check out this extensive list of top tech and leadership books from our industry experts.
If you’re interested in exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI), get started with this collection:
- Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick. Recommended by Maureen Kinnear, Payworks’ Chief Technology Officer, Co-Intelligenceshows what it means to think and work together with smart machines, and why it's imperative that we master that skill.
- AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable by Roman Yampolskiy. Recommended by Kevin Sokolowski, Chief Business Transformation Officer at Payworks, this book focuses on AI safety and the importance of proper controls.
- Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostom. Recommended by Andrew Stevens, Vice President, Development at Payworks, Superintelligence is an analysis of AI and the future of intelligent life.
If your focus is on promoting innovation and creative thinking within your organization, set your sights here:
- Innovative Intelligence: The Art and Practice of Leading Sustainable Innovation in Your Organization by David S. Weiss and Claude P. Legrand. Also recommended by Maureen, this (Canadian!) book helps you learn how to most effectively embrace a culture of innovation so that it permeates every level of the organization.
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. Also recommended by Andrew, this popular guide will help transform your mind and habits to support the skill of focused work.
- What Customers Want: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services by Anthony W. Ulwick. Recommended by Vidur Krishan, Vice President, Product Management at Payworks, this approach to new product and service creation transforms innovation from an art into a science.
- Pirates in the Navy: How Innovators Lead Transformation by Tendayi Viki. Recommended by Derek Ward, Director, IT Strategy and Innovation at Payworks, Pirates in the Navy explores the concept of “intrapreneurs” – innovators working in large companies who want to create lasting change within their organizations.
If you’d like learn more about human behaviour and the impacts of technology on people and society, dip into these stand-outs:
- Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. Recommended By Stefan DeCosse, Vice President, Information Security at Payworks, this book offers an interesting perspective on understanding people’s inner thoughts by using data from platforms like Google.
- Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart by Nicholas Carr. Also recommended by Derek, this book may seem anti-technology – but it’s not! Superbloom explores media technologies and communication tools alongside the truths about human nature.
If tech books aren’t really your jam, but personal development is, consider this popular recommendation that made the lists of Maureen, Andrew, and Michael Markowski, Director, Development at Payworks:
- The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. Based on the theories of renowned psychologist Alfred Adler, this book guides you through the principles of self-forgiveness, self-care, and mind decluttering in a straightforward, easy-to-digest style that’s accessible to all.
Looking for more ideas from the Payworks team (along with legislative explainers, updates on how to best leverage Payworks’ workforce management solutions, warm-and-fuzzy community news, and a whole lot more)? Subscribe to theWorks blog for a monthly roundup of insights delivered straight to your inbox: https://www.payworks.ca/landing-pages/campaigns/subscribe-to-theworks-blog.
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