7 Books to Build Highly Creative Teams
Go from inspiration to implementation
While not limited to the creative field, this set of books can help managers, employees or anyone who works as a part of a team, by exposing common problems that are harmful to a group and setting best practice guidelines for how to to function together to excel. Every leader should aspire to maximize the creative potential of their team, and provide the right resources, incentives and processes to achieve innovative results.
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (Patrick Lencioni)
Lencioni describes common hurdles for teams as well as how to diagnose the problem and systematically deals with them using the example of a fictionalized story of a new CEO joining company. - Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results (Mike Rother)
A kata is a series of movements in martial arts that are frequently repeated to make them automatic. Kata behaviors and principles put a focus on continuous improvement and a focus on improving organizational culture with a scientific method. - Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (David Allen)
Juggling too many demands is a struggle for many in today’s information laden world. Allen offers practical and actionable ideas, describing the benefits of using a system to organize our tasks to streamline the things you need to do. - Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality (Scott Belsky)
Belsky, founder of Behance, shares the traits of effective creative teams and argues that creative success is a matter of getting past the allure of inspiration and moving our focus toward the organization and execution of ideas. - Creativity, Inc.:Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace)
An in-depth look at the history of Pixar, Steve Jobs, and it’s acquisition by Disney. This book takes you through the impact Steve Jobs had on the firm’s culture and the various ways that they cultivate excellence and creativity.
6. High Output Management (Andrew Grove)
A classic handbook for navigating real-life business scenarios and on leading teams and managing employees, filled with advice and and applications for the book’ s ideas.
7. Good to Great (Jim Collins)
Considered the official Bible on management — this book examines a broad spectrum of companies that have positioned themselves for success through common processes for making the leap from good to great.
Book lists
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