Best books that I read in 2022

Continuing with my annual ritual, as 2022 draws to a close, here are a few books that I enjoyed reading this year. Feel free to recommend your list in the comments section.

?Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

Post the pandemic, if you have had long waiting times for your iPhone or your car, you must have heard that it’s likely because of a chip shortage. Today, we rarely think about semiconductor chips, yet these invisible things are the ones that have created the modern world. The book recently received the Financial Times Award for the best business book. An interesting read, it covers the story of sales, marketing, supply chain management, and cost reduction of chips. The author concludes that the future will not be the war for oil but a war for chips. It will shape international politics, world economy, and influence the balance of military power. Today, there are only a few countries that dominate the chip space. Design engineering expertise resides in US (California) and Israel, design software is handled by the United States, chips are primarily manufactured in Taiwan, China, and Korea. The ultra-pure silicon wafers and specialized gases come from Japan and ultra-precise machinery is provided by Netherlands, Japan, or US. As the topic of semiconductors gets increasingly relevant, do give this book a read. You will understand the importance of the global chip ecosystem, and how the global battle for semiconductor supremacy is gaining importance.

The Checklist Manifesto

In a world today where we are constantly distracted and bombarded by too much information to remember, having a Checklist is a great idea. Based on his research in different industries from aviation to medicine, Boston-based surgeon Atul Gawande lays out the importance of checklists and how it catches mental flaws inherent in all of us. The author cites an example of how World Health Organization (WHO) developed a two-minute, 19-point checklist that has now prevented countless surgical complications and deaths. He also cites the story of how a three-year-old girl fell into an icy pond and was underwater for 30 minutes. The doctor who treated her at the hospital revealed how a checklist from the Rescue Squads played an important role in her survival.

A few tips to keep in mind when developing a checklist: Use plain English. Think of simple words from the field in which the audience is in so that they understand the context. Nothing better than fitting your list on a piece of paper. Do cover the items on the list that are most dangerous to overlook. Finally, test and refine your checklist in the real world.

Although the concept of checklist is a simple one, reading the book and studying the examples makes you reflect and appreciate the concept even more. As the author states, we must set aside our egos, accept human fallibility and use checklists.

HBR at 100: The most influential and innovative articles from HBR's first century

For businesses leaders, Harvard Business Review (HBR) is a “showcase of fresh ideas”. Researchers and Academicians, Management Consultants, Organization Leaders often share their best thinking on management concepts. During the industrial revolution, the focus of the HBR articles was on operational efficiency. Thanks to HBR, leaders started to talk about topics on employee motivation, authentic leadership, and work-life balance. Now, the HBR articles are getting leaders to talk about topics like race and diversity, climate change, and the future of work. This book is a collector’s item. You’ll come across the 30 best articles to date from HBR. From Management theory to elements that are fundamental to long-term success, you will enjoy reading the point of views. My 3 favorite articles from the list:

1. Management time: Who’s got the monkey?
2. Nine things successful people do differently
3. What Psychological Safety Looks Like in a Hybrid Workplace

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How the World Really Works — The Science of Our Past, Present and Future

I first read about this book on Bill Gates’ blog. As Gates comments, the author, Canadian Scientist Vaclav Smil’s writing style is not for everyone. The book sounds like an academic text and is loaded with quantitative analysis. It took some time for me to finish this book. The author dives into seven topics he thinks all of us need to know about. Topics range from understanding energy, food production, material production, globalization, risks, and environment. He cuts through the hype and does a reality check. He makes an interesting observation: modern urbanites today hardly understand how we produce our food or how we build our machines and devices. Vaclav explains the fundamentals of how food is grown, how the environment is made and maintained, and how all of this is powered. His conclusion: Modern food production is hybrid in nature. While we have solar radiation powering food production, it’s the fossil fuels that revolutionized agriculture. The high-yield crops are based on fossil energies and there will be dependence on it for years and our ties with fossil fuels cannot be easily severed. We are a "fossil-fueled civilization", and we cannot simply get away from this fact. An interesting read, take your time to read this book.

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Nudge: The Final Edition

My Organization and Change Management colleagues in Consulting (especially the Behavioral Science specialists) often talk about this “must read” book. The authors released the “final edition” and I decided to give it a try. The book is quite engaging with lots of examples, and it certainly changes the way one thinks. How we live our life is all about the choices we make and sometimes even when we know what’s good for us, we don’t always act rationally. Nudging plays an important role. In the book, one is introduced to the concept of “Choice Architect”, a person responsible for organizing the context in which people make decisions. “Nudge” is defined as an aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives. Nudges are not taxes, fines, subsidies, bans, or mandates. They must be easy and cheap to avoid.

What I liked was how the different elements of nudge architecture are discussed. Make it easy to understand and take the desired action. Make the desired activity fun. Design using a “path of least resistance” (automatic, uncomplicated) and assume that people will make mistakes when designing your system. E.g., ATM machines requires you to take back your credit card before they issue cash. Offer incentives, such as rewards or savings, but be sure decision makers can link the reward to the decision. A good read to learn how nudges in choices can get you to think and act differently.

As I mentioned earlier, I’d love to know the books you enjoyed reading. Have a great 2023 and Happy Reading!