Summer Reading for Beyond the Beach
The pace of summer sometimes slows to permit more time to dive into a good book and refresh our thinking about issues that matter to us. This year I’ve polled a number of friends and colleagues to share some favorite reads, both newly published and bookshelf favorites. The titles cover a grab bag of topics, all relevant in some way to our mission to create a more just, sustainable, and prosperous world. Some books are rooted in a specific sector. Some provide insight into new paradigms about the world and opportunities for positive change.
In your moments of quiet and reflection, we hope you have time to read and to learn this summer. As you discover new favorite social innovation reads, please share your recommendations with us!
Classics for Innovation and Change
Forces for Good, the Six Practices of High Impact Nonprofits, Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant
A revised version of this must-read was published last summer, including updates on the 12 organizations featured in the book, as well as new content about the shifting environment in which nonprofit organizations operate. The authors conducted deep research to land on six practices of high impact nonprofits, and the book offers a strong reminder that relentless focus on impact is essential to making a tangible difference in the communities we serve.
SWITCH: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, Chip Heath and Dan Heath
This book is on my list again, as it is timeless in its relevance. I referenced it when designing our Innovation in Action Lab here in Myanmar and was reminded of its usefulness whenever you need to bring forth change. The book provides insight and tools to help anyone be more successful in driving change, reminding us that change is only successful when we can change behavior.
New Understanding and Communication
The Human Face of Big Data, Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt
A good introduction to the power of big data. Although its focus is not on using big data for social good, the book illustrates through a variety of profiles and stories how data collection, storage and analysis is sparking a quantum leap in human knowledge. It is inspiring in the ways it shows us the magnitude of change around us and what is possible.
Social Change Anytime Everywhere, Allyson Kapin and Amy Sample Ward
This read provides an overview of the social media tools available to inform audiences, create community, and build support for your mission. It sets out five guiding principles: 1) Identify your community from the crowd, 2) Focus on shared goals; 3) Choose tools for discovery and distribution; 4) Highlight personal stories; and 5) Build a movement to frame and guide online marketing and identity in today’s landscape. For those of us wanting to get more comfortable in the new social media landscape, this book is a helpful starting point.
Paradigm Shift
Mulgan, one of my favorite minds in the social innovation arena, writes about the economic crisis as an historic opportunity to choose a radically different future for capitalism, one that maximizes its creative power and minimizes its destructive force. It dismantles assumptions about how markets must work, and refreshes our thinking about what is possible in our increasingly interconnected world.
Waking the Global Heart: Humanity’s Rite of Passage from the Love of Power to the Power of Love, Judith Anodea
Presenting a compelling account of the historical, philosophical, and cultural development that brings us to the current era, Anodea’s call to action offers an interesting framework for a better – more balanced, more compassionate, and more sustainable – future.
Topic-focused
Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, Clayton Christensen, Curtis Johnson, and Michael Horn
A read about computer-based classes as a disruptive innovation permitting more individualized education to students in the 21st century.
Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature, Mark Tercek and Jonathan Adams
Written by CEO of the Nature Conservancy and former investment banker Tercek, and science writer Adams, this book highlights the ways that conservation and wise stewardship of natural resources are the smartest investments we can make.
A Long Bright Future, Laura Carstensen
Carstensen, a Stanford professor and director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, writes about the possibilities offered by humankind’s increasingly long life spans. It also addresses the societal structures that have been slow to respond to this demographic change, and in doing so shines a light on the opportunities for innovation to better support long, well-lived lives.
More than a Book
Led by a powerhouse team including competitive strategy guru Michael Porter, the Social Progress Imperative announced the Social Progress Index, a tool that measures the things that really matter to people — their basic needs, their food, shelter and security; their access to healthcare, education, and a healthy environment; their opportunity to improve their lives — to influence the debate about development so that business, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and development programs can be more effective.
Our friends at +Acumen have recently launched a +Acumen online leadership academy to bring free online courses to anyone with access to the internet. The courses are designed to support emerging leaders in gaining new skills and insights to be more effective in their efforts to improve the lives of people around the world. As an example, Acumen partnered with IDEO to offer a course called Human-Centered Design for Social Innovation, and also has a course titled Storytelling for Change. Demand is high and spots are limited, but bravo to +Acumen for expanding its reach in this way. Hopefully many will benefit from this new offering.
What books and opportunities for new learning have helped to shape your thinking around social innovation and impact?