Best New Management Books for 2022: Thinkers50 announces new booklist

PRESS RELEASE
Monday 27 June 2022 

LONDON – What are the new books every manager should read this year? Thinkers50, the global ranking of management thinkers, today announced its Best New Management Books: Top 10 New Titles for 2022. 

The Thinkers50 Best New Books list offers an insight into what’s uppermost in managers’ minds. The Conversation, for example, by Harvard psychologist Robert Livingston is based on his extensive experience working with diversity and inclusion and offers guidance on how to tackle systemic racism within organizations. Erica Dhawan’s book Digital Body Language, which is also on the list, examines how people working virtually can build trust and connection with colleagues. 

On this year’s list, too, are Net Positive by Paul Polman and Andrew Winston, which argues that companies must be courageous and go beyond net zero and make a positive contribution to the planet; Impact Players, by Liz Wiseman, which explains how individuals can make a bigger impact in their organizations; and Deep Purpose, by Ranjay Gulati, an in-depth examination of corporate purpose. Making the list, too, is The Burnout Epidemic, by Jennifer Moss, which charts the rise of chronic stress in the workplace and what we can do to fix it. 

Whitney Johnson’s book Smart Growth looks at how companies can grow their people to grow the business, and Built to Innovate, by INSEAD professor Ben Bensaou, explains how successful organizations bake innovation into their cultures. The Human Element, by Kellogg professors Loran Norgren and David Schonthal, is a guide to overcoming resistance to new ideas. Making the list, too, is The Unspoken Rules, by up-and-coming thinker Gorick Ng, which is an invaluable guide to starting your career on the right foot. 

‘The Best New Management Books are the ones that have the potential to change the way people think about and practice management,’ explains Thinkers50 co-founder Stuart Crainer. ‘They offer a fresh perspective on how organizations are managed.’

As part of the selection process, Thinkers50 sought opinions from within the Thinkers50 community, gathering nominations from eminent business thinkers and practising managers. Nominations were invited for books that excelled in the 3Rs: Relevance: does the book address a current and pressing issue or challenge? Rigour: is it well-researched and based on real-world examples? And Readability: is it accessible, insightful, and inspiring? The only rules were that books had to be published after January 2021 and participants were not allowed to nominate their own books.

‘This is a list of the new books influencing how managers do their jobs today and, in the future,’ adds Thinkers50 co-founder Des Dearlove. ‘To help us curate the list, we reached out to managers and management thinkers to ask which books they were reading and found most useful. The titles are a barometer of what managers are thinking about, with topics such as diversity and inclusion, working virtually, corporate purpose, and sustainability represented. Managers are also concerned about burnout and the stress caused by the pandemic, and other challenges, including geopolitical shifts, economic disruption, and the future of capitalism itself.’ 

The Thinkers50 Best New Management Books: Top 10 New Titles for 2022 are (in alphabetical order):

In May 2022, Thinkers50 launched the Thinkers50 Booklists: a curated guide to the very best books on management. A neat shelf of must-have books for busy managers. The series was launched with 10 Management Classics for 2022 — a collection of management books that have stood the test of time. The Thinkers50 Best New Management Books: Top 10 New Titles for 2022 is the second list of the series.

About Thinkers50

Founded in 2001, Thinkers50 identifies, ranks, and shares the very best in management ideas. Its definitive global ranking of management thinkers is announced, and Distinguished Achievement Award recipients honoured, every two years. Thinkers50 partners include Executive Networks, the Brightline Initiative, the Haier Group, Fujitsu, Management Centre Turkey, 100 Coaches and Deloitte.

About Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove

Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer are the founders and directors of Thinkers50. Internationally recognized experts and commentators on management ideas, they are the authors of more than 15 books that have been translated into 20 languages. Former columnists to The (London) Times, they are editors of The Financial Times Handbook of Management. They advise thinkers and organizations worldwide.

Contacts
Des Dearlove

Stuart Crainer

Monika Kosman

@thinkers50
www.thinkers50.com