At the beginning of summer, my two oldest kids asked me to make a summer reading list for them. Weird, I know, but let’s just say I’ve trained them well 😉
If children have summer reading lists, why not grown-ups like you and me?
I researched some of the most recent books published about intranets, social business, and the digital workplace and I’m sharing them with you. Read this list before you head to your summer vacation and you’ll return to work with renewed energy to make your company intranet better than ever.
Top 10 Recommended Books for Intranet Team Members
The Collaborative Organization
Jacob Morgan, 2012
Everybody says collaboration is the key to a more successful enterprise, but how exactly does one achieve it? In this nuts-and-bolts guide, the author gives us the framework needed to leverage technologies to create a collaborative organization. Reviewers have called this book “dense with insight” and “bridges theory to practice.”
Social Business by Design: Transformative Social Media Strategies for the Connected Company
Dion Hinchcliffe & Peter Kim, 2012
Everybody’s talking about going “social,” but what exactly does it mean? The term “social business” itself has taken on various meanings. The authors define it as “the use of tools of self-expression to enable people to connect, participate, engage and collaborate in ways we haven’t seen before.” The authors provide a playbook and roadmap for companies to use both external and internal social media to reach business goals.
The Digital Workplace: How Technology Is Liberating Work
Paul Miller, 2012
“Digital workplace” is another buzzword that has been circulating recently. Author Paul Miller, as founder of the Intranet Benchmarking Forum, has seen first-hand how digital media is changing the way we work, and he peels back the curtain for us in this book.
50 Digital Team-Building Games: Fast, Fun Meeting Openers, Group Activities and Adventures using Social Media, Smart Phones, GPS, Tablets and More
John Chen, 2012
Speakers, facilitators, trainers, and managers will get tons of tech-based games and activities from this book. Intranet teams can use the activities as jump-off points to make up their own ways of making the intranet more interactive and injecting some “gamification” without necessarily acquiring a new piece of software.
The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leaderships
Tamara Gillis, IABC, 2011
If you must read only one book on strategic organization communication — both external and internal — then let it be this. The handbook has been updated to cover current and upcoming issues, such as new technologies and social media.
The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employees
Anthony J. Bradley & Mark P. McDonald, 2011
Read this book and get wisdom from over 400 organizations that have used social technologies. The authors contend that managers need six core disciplines to harness community collaboration for the enterprise: vision; strategy; purpose; launch; guide; and adapt.
Inside the Organization: Perspectives on Employee Communications
Jack LeMenager, 2011
Read this is you realize how crucial communication is in the workplace. On second thought, if you don’t realize that, then you need this book even more. Every manager needs strong communication skills to succeed, and this book will help you design and implement corporate communications programs.
Smart Business, Social Business: A Playbook for Social Media in Your Organization
Michael Brito, 2011
Is your organization rocking social media externally but doing or achieving little behind your firewall? Then this book is for you. It gives a step-by-step playbook for using social media within your organization to humanize your business operations and create a truly collaborative organization.
The Accidental Taxonomist
Heather Hedden, 2010
Taxonomy is a crucial aspect of an effective and efficient intranet. Those tasked with building taxonomies for their intranets will appreciate this practical guide. It’s worthy of a place beside your computer.
The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow’s Employees Today
Jeanne C. Meister & Karie Willyerd, 2010
If you’re struggling to attract and keep younger talent in your organization, then this book is for you. The authors have collected real-world examples from various organizations, including the use of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to attract job candidates and train new employees. They also take into account that the reader may have never used these social networking sites.
What’s On Your Reading List?
Which of the titles above are going into your summer reading list? Which have you already read? Which books did I leave out that you think should be included?
Let me know your thoughts!