34 Books like Adapt

Right Kind of Wrong

by Amy C. Edmondson • 2023

Two kinds of failure to prevent, one kind to pursue. The difference is where innovation lives.

3.90

3k+

🛡️ Psychological Safety 📉 Learning From Failure 💡 Innovation Culture

Right Kind of Wrong 96%

Two kinds of failure to prevent, one kind to pursue. The difference is where innovation lives.

by Amy C. Edmondson 2023

3.90

3k+ ratings

🛡️ Psychological Safety 📉 Learning From Failure 💡 Innovation Culture

Learn or Die

by Edward D. Hess • 2014

Why smart companies accidentally punish learning, and the cognitive science for fixing it.

3.83

265

🏢 Organizational Learning 🌱 Learning Culture 🛡️ Psychological Safety

Learn or Die 95%

Why smart companies accidentally punish learning, and the cognitive science for fixing it.

by Edward D. Hess 2014

3.83

265 ratings

🏢 Organizational Learning 🌱 Learning Culture 🛡️ Psychological Safety

Think Like a Rocket Scientist

by Ozan Varol • 2020

Nine rocket-science rules that turn uncertainty, failure, and impossible goals into your advantage.

4.17

5k+

🚀 Innovation Strategy 🧠 Mental Models 🧩 Cognitive Biases

Think Like a Rocket Scientist 95%

Nine rocket-science rules that turn uncertainty, failure, and impossible goals into your advantage.

by Ozan Varol 2020

4.17

5k+ ratings

🚀 Innovation Strategy 🧠 Mental Models 🧩 Cognitive Biases

Black Box Thinking

by Matthew Syed • 2015

Two 747s of patients die daily from preventable errors. The psychology that keeps us blind.

4.28

15k+

💥 Learning From Failure 🛡️ Psychological Safety 🔄 Continuous Improvement

Black Box Thinking 94%

Two 747s of patients die daily from preventable errors. The psychology that keeps us blind.

by Matthew Syed 2015

4.28

15k+ ratings

💥 Learning From Failure 🛡️ Psychological Safety 🔄 Continuous Improvement

Uncharted

by Margaret Heffernan • 2020

Why the best leaders swap predictions for experiments, scenarios, and collective preparation.

3.64

458

📋 Scenario Planning 🧪 Experimentation Culture 🏛️ Long-Term Thinking

Uncharted 94%

Why the best leaders swap predictions for experiments, scenarios, and collective preparation.

by Margaret Heffernan 2020

3.64

458 ratings

📋 Scenario Planning 🧪 Experimentation Culture 🏛️ Long-Term Thinking

Anatomy of a Breakthrough

by Adam Alter • 2023

Feeling stuck isn't a personal failing; it's a universal pattern, and this is the way out.

3.86

2k+

🧠 Cognitive Biases 🪨 Friction Reduction 🏋️ Learning From Failure

Anatomy of a Breakthrough 94%

Feeling stuck isn't a personal failing; it's a universal pattern, and this is the way out.

by Adam Alter 2023

3.86

2k+ ratings

🧠 Cognitive Biases 🪨 Friction Reduction 🏋️ Learning From Failure

Little Bets

by Peter Sims • 2011

Big visions are overrated. Real innovators run dozens of small experiments instead.

3.77

4k+

🧪 Innovation Methods 🔄 Iterative Design 📉 Learning From Failure

Little Bets 94%

Big visions are overrated. Real innovators run dozens of small experiments instead.

by Peter Sims 2011

3.77

4k+ ratings

🧪 Innovation Methods 🔄 Iterative Design 📉 Learning From Failure

Streetlights and Shadows

by Gary Klein • 2009

Complex situations demand a different decision playbook. One built on recognition, not comparison.

4.28

321

🧠 Intuition And Analysis 🔍 Sensemaking 📊 Behavioral Economics

Streetlights and Shadows 94%

Complex situations demand a different decision playbook. One built on recognition, not comparison.

by Gary Klein 2009

4.28

321 ratings

🧠 Intuition And Analysis 🔍 Sensemaking 📊 Behavioral Economics

Obliquity

by John Kay • 2010

The goals that matter most are best achieved by aiming for something else entirely.

3.62

1k+

📈 Business Strategy 🧠 Behavioral Economics 🔗 Complexity Theory

Obliquity 94%

The goals that matter most are best achieved by aiming for something else entirely.

by John Kay 2010

3.62

1k+ ratings

📈 Business Strategy 🧠 Behavioral Economics 🔗 Complexity Theory

The Art of Critical Decision Making

by Michael A. Roberto • 2009

Data doesn't make decisions. Debate does. The process for designing the right argument in any room.

4.09

573

🧠 Cognitive Biases 📉 Behavioral Economics ⚔️ Constructive Conflict

The Art of Critical Decision Making Summary

The Art of Critical Decision Making 94%

Data doesn't make decisions. Debate does. The process for designing the right argument in any room.

by Michael A. Roberto 2009

4.09

573 ratings

🧠 Cognitive Biases 📉 Behavioral Economics ⚔️ Constructive Conflict

Fooled by Randomness

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb • 2001

Ten thousand coin-flippers produce three hundred geniuses. The biographies write themselves.

4.08

72k+

📈 Financial Markets 🔬 Behavioral Economics 🧠 Cognitive Biases

Fooled by Randomness 94%

Ten thousand coin-flippers produce three hundred geniuses. The biographies write themselves.

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 2001

4.08

72k+ ratings

📈 Financial Markets 🔬 Behavioral Economics 🧠 Cognitive Biases

Perfectly Confident

by Don A. Moore • 2020

Confidence is a measurement problem: not how sure you feel, but how wrong you might be.

3.67

315

🧠 Cognitive Biases 💰 Behavioral Economics 📊 Decision Science

Perfectly Confident 94%

Confidence is a measurement problem: not how sure you feel, but how wrong you might be.

by Don A. Moore 2020

3.67

315 ratings

🧠 Cognitive Biases 💰 Behavioral Economics 📊 Decision Science

The Science of Successful Organizational Change

by Paul Gibbons • 2015

Half of all change efforts fail. The fix is the behavioral science most leaders overlook.

4.07

🔄 Change Management 🏃 Agile Organizations 🧠 Behavioral Economics

The Science of Successful Organizational Change Summary

The Science of Successful Organizational Change 94%

Half of all change efforts fail. The fix is the behavioral science most leaders overlook.

by Paul Gibbons 2015

4.07

45 ratings

🔄 Change Management 🏃 Agile Organizations 🧠 Behavioral Economics

Loonshots

by Safi Bahcall • 2019

Growing companies kill their best ideas for a structural reason physics discovered a century ago.

4.00

9k+

🏗️ Organizational Design 🏢 Corporate Innovation ⚖️ Ambidextrous Organizations

Loonshots 94%

Growing companies kill their best ideas for a structural reason physics discovered a century ago.

by Safi Bahcall 2019

4.00

9k+ ratings

🏗️ Organizational Design 🏢 Corporate Innovation ⚖️ Ambidextrous Organizations

Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned

by Kenneth O. Stanley • 2015

Ambitious objectives blind you to the very discoveries that make them obsolete.

3.98

1k+

💡 Innovation Studies 🚫 Goal Skepticism ✨ Serendipity And Discovery

Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned 94%

Ambitious objectives blind you to the very discoveries that make them obsolete.

by Kenneth O. Stanley 2015

3.98

1k+ ratings

💡 Innovation Studies 🚫 Goal Skepticism ✨ Serendipity And Discovery

The Power Of Impossible Thinking

by Yoram Jerry Wind • 2004

Your mental models decide what you see. Outdated ones close off worlds you don't know exist.

3.59

213

🧠 Mental Models 🏢 Organizational Change 🔄 Cognitive Flexibility

The Power Of Impossible Thinking Summary

The Power Of Impossible Thinking 94%

Your mental models decide what you see. Outdated ones close off worlds you don't know exist.

by Yoram Jerry Wind 2004

3.59

213 ratings

🧠 Mental Models 🏢 Organizational Change 🔄 Cognitive Flexibility

How Innovation Works

by Matt Ridley • 2020

Not lone geniuses but slow, collective tinkering, freedom, and accident drive real innovation.

4.11

4k+

🧬 Evolutionary Economics 🔧 History Of Technology 🧪 Trial And Error

How Innovation Works 94%

Not lone geniuses but slow, collective tinkering, freedom, and accident drive real innovation.

by Matt Ridley 2020

4.11

4k+ ratings

🧬 Evolutionary Economics 🔧 History Of Technology 🧪 Trial And Error

Nonsense

by Jamie Holmes • 2015

Certainty is a trap. What not knowing does for creativity, smarter choices, and avoiding disaster.

3.61

1k+

🧠 Cognitive Biases 📊 Behavioral Economics 💡 Creative Problem Solving

Nonsense 94%

Certainty is a trap. What not knowing does for creativity, smarter choices, and avoiding disaster.

by Jamie Holmes 2015

3.61

1k+ ratings

🧠 Cognitive Biases 📊 Behavioral Economics 💡 Creative Problem Solving

Innovation

by Mark Dodgson • 2010

Most innovations fail, and the pattern of those failures is not a bug but a design feature.

3.28

190

📚 Innovation Studies 🔄 Organizational Change 🤖 Technology And Society

Innovation 94%

Most innovations fail, and the pattern of those failures is not a bug but a design feature.

by Mark Dodgson 2010

3.28

190 ratings

📚 Innovation Studies 🔄 Organizational Change 🤖 Technology And Society

The Creative Thinking Handbook

by Chris Griffiths • 2022

Your brain has three blind spots that kill creativity. A four-step system for working around them.

3.79

163

🧩 Creative Problem Solving 🧠 Metacognition 🔍 Cognitive Biases

The Creative Thinking Handbook 94%

Your brain has three blind spots that kill creativity. A four-step system for working around them.

by Chris Griffiths 2022

3.79

163 ratings

🧩 Creative Problem Solving 🧠 Metacognition 🔍 Cognitive Biases

What's Your Problem?

by Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg • 2020

Your problem-solving instinct is your biggest obstacle. A method for seeing the real problem first.

4.23

669

🖼️ Problem Framing 🎨 Design Thinking 🧠 Cognitive Biases

What's Your Problem? 94%

Your problem-solving instinct is your biggest obstacle. A method for seeing the real problem first.

by Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg 2020

4.23

669 ratings

🖼️ Problem Framing 🎨 Design Thinking 🧠 Cognitive Biases

Why Most Things Fail

by Paul Ormerod • 2005

Business and biology share one extinction curve. Smarter planning barely bends it.

3.48

391

🧬 Evolutionary Economics 🔗 Complexity Economics 📉 Power-Law Patterns

Why Most Things Fail 94%

Business and biology share one extinction curve. Smarter planning barely bends it.

by Paul Ormerod 2005

3.48

391 ratings

🧬 Evolutionary Economics 🔗 Complexity Economics 📉 Power-Law Patterns

Surfing the Edge of Chaos

by Richard Tanner Pascale • 2000

Stability kills. The most adaptive companies thrive in a zone just short of chaos.

3.86

136

🔄 Systems Thinking 🌀 Complexity Theory 🧭 Adaptive Leadership

Surfing the Edge of Chaos 94%

Stability kills. The most adaptive companies thrive in a zone just short of chaos.

by Richard Tanner Pascale 2000

3.86

136 ratings

🔄 Systems Thinking 🌀 Complexity Theory 🧭 Adaptive Leadership

The Power of Experiments

by Michael Luca • 2020

eBay's experiment killed $50 million in ads. Here's how to run yours.

3.46

246

🧪 Experimental Methods 🧠 Behavioral Economics 📊 A/B Testing

The Power of Experiments 94%

eBay's experiment killed $50 million in ads. Here's how to run yours.

by Michael Luca 2020

3.46

246 ratings

🧪 Experimental Methods 🧠 Behavioral Economics 📊 A/B Testing

Aid on the Edge of Chaos

by Ben Ramalingam • 2013

Aid agencies build blueprints for a clockwork world, but poverty is a tangled, living system.

3.89

153

🏳️ Foreign Aid 🌍 International Development 📉 Aid Effectiveness

Aid on the Edge of Chaos 94%

Aid agencies build blueprints for a clockwork world, but poverty is a tangled, living system.

by Ben Ramalingam 2013

3.89

153 ratings

🏳️ Foreign Aid 🌍 International Development 📉 Aid Effectiveness

Making Better Decisions Using Systems Thinking

by Jaap Schaveling • 2017

Stop fighting fires: the systems-thinking tools that find the root cause and fix it for good.

3.82

🔄 Systems Thinking 🧠 Cognitive Biases 🗺️ Decision Frameworks

Making Better Decisions Using Systems Thinking Summary

Making Better Decisions Using Systems Thinking 94%

Stop fighting fires: the systems-thinking tools that find the root cause and fix it for good.

by Jaap Schaveling 2017

3.82

11 ratings

🔄 Systems Thinking 🧠 Cognitive Biases 🗺️ Decision Frameworks

Harnessing Complexity

by Robert Axelrod • 2000

You can't control a complex system, but you can harness its evolutionary machinery to steer it.

3.73

147

🧩 Complexity Science 🧠 Complex Adaptive Systems 💡 Systems Thinking

Harnessing Complexity 93%

You can't control a complex system, but you can harness its evolutionary machinery to steer it.

by Robert Axelrod 2000

3.73

147 ratings

🧩 Complexity Science 🧠 Complex Adaptive Systems 💡 Systems Thinking

The Great Mental Models, Volume 3

by Shane Parrish • 2024

Why extra effort eventually backfires, luck isn't random, and one weak link can undo everything.

4.26

195

🧠 Mental Models 🔄 Systems Thinking 📊 Decision Science

The Great Mental Models, Volume 3 Summary

The Great Mental Models, Volume 3 93%

Why extra effort eventually backfires, luck isn't random, and one weak link can undo everything.

by Shane Parrish 2024

4.26

195 ratings

🧠 Mental Models 🔄 Systems Thinking 📊 Decision Science

100 mental models

by Wisdom Theory

Why a hundred borrowed concepts from physics, economics, and psychology beat expertise alone.

4.00

105

🧠 Mental Models 🧩 Cognitive Biases 🧭 Decision Frameworks

100 mental models 93%

Why a hundred borrowed concepts from physics, economics, and psychology beat expertise alone.

by Wisdom Theory

4.00

105 ratings

🧠 Mental Models 🧩 Cognitive Biases 🧭 Decision Frameworks

The Power of Noticing

by Max H. Bazerman • 2014

The worst failures were visible beforehand; the missing ingredient was never data but attention.

3.40

437

🧠 Cognitive Biases 💰 Behavioral Economics 🏢 Organizational Culture

The Power of Noticing 93%

The worst failures were visible beforehand; the missing ingredient was never data but attention.

by Max H. Bazerman 2014

3.40

437 ratings

🧠 Cognitive Biases 💰 Behavioral Economics 🏢 Organizational Culture

The Origin of Wealth

by Eric D. Beinhocker • 2006

Traditional economics assumed equilibrium. Actually, economies evolve through trial and error.

4.27

2k+

🧩 Complexity Economics 🧬 Evolutionary Economics 🧠 Behavioral Economics

The Origin of Wealth 93%

Traditional economics assumed equilibrium. Actually, economies evolve through trial and error.

by Eric D. Beinhocker 2006

4.27

2k+ ratings

🧩 Complexity Economics 🧬 Evolutionary Economics 🧠 Behavioral Economics

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook

by Peter M. • 1994

The practical fieldbook for building a company that learns, adapts, and outpaces change.

4.12

2k+

🏢 Organizational Learning 🔄 Systems Thinking 🧠 Mental Models

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook 93%

The practical fieldbook for building a company that learns, adapts, and outpaces change.

by Peter M. 1994

4.12

2k+ ratings

🏢 Organizational Learning 🔄 Systems Thinking 🧠 Mental Models

Simple Rules

by Donald Sull • 2015

When complexity spikes, thick playbooks fail. A handful of tailored rules holds up.

3.68

2k+

🧠 Heuristics 🎯 Rule Design 🔄 Behavioral Economics

Simple Rules 93%

When complexity spikes, thick playbooks fail. A handful of tailored rules holds up.

by Donald Sull 2015

3.68

2k+ ratings

🧠 Heuristics 🎯 Rule Design 🔄 Behavioral Economics

Undisruptable

by Aidan McCullen • 2021

Most people reinvent only after a crisis. The S-curve shows how to do it first.

4.49

125

🔄 Corporate Reinvention 🧭 Personal Reinvention 🪡 Failure As Learning

Undisruptable 93%

Most people reinvent only after a crisis. The S-curve shows how to do it first.

by Aidan McCullen 2021

4.49

125 ratings

🔄 Corporate Reinvention 🧭 Personal Reinvention 🪡 Failure As Learning

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