How do you keep up with technological changes, given the rapid pace of technological advances? For CIOs and IT leaders looking to sharpen their tech skills or learn about the latest developments, we’ve put together a reading list for 2022.
Browse these titles to dive deeper into key technologies and related business and leadership challenges your organizations may face.
You are reading: Books about future technology
1. the age of a.i.
by henry kissinger, eric schmidt and daniel huttenlocher
book description (via amazon): “three of the world’s most comprehensive and profound thinkers come together to explore artificial intelligence (ai) and how it is transforming society and what this technology means for all of us ai is coming online in search, streaming, medicine, education, and many other fields, and in doing so is transforming the way humans experience reality “.
Why You Should Read This: IT leaders seeking an AI roadmap for our present and future will find this book useful. one five-star reviewer noted, “this is one of the first books to describe the consequences of not paying attention to how artificial intelligence has already entered our lives and will shape our future. great ideas and an invitation to take ownership of our historical sovereignty and realizing that history will no longer be determined by our individual will, but by a ‘partnership’ with AI. Let’s hope this is seen as collaboration rather than competition.”
[ working on your communication skills? Also Read: 9 Books You Must Read To Become A Stronger Communicator. ]
2. doing agility well: transformation without chaos
by darrel k. rigby, sarah elk and steve berez
book description (via hbr): “agility has the power to transform work, but only if it’s implemented the right way. for decades, business leaders have been painfully Aware of a Great Chasm: They aspire to build agile and flexible companies. But their daily reality is silos, slow processes, and stagnant innovation. The authors discuss how agile really works, show what not to do, and explain the critical importance of scaling agile properly in order to get all its benefits.”
Why You Should Read This: CIOs looking to maintain high agility in their organizations will find in this read that balance is key. You will learn about the myths and misconceptions that have accompanied agile’s rise to prominence. discover the potential to transform your business and catapult yourself to the top of the pack when you read this book.
3. Everyday Chaos: Technology, Complexity, and How We Thrive in a New World of Possibilities
by david weinberger
book description (via hbr): “artificial intelligence, big data, modern science, and the internet are revealing a fundamental truth: the world is much more complex and unpredictable than that we have allowed ourselves to see. Now that technology allows us to take advantage of all the chaos it is revealing, our understanding of how things happen is changing, and with it our deeper strategies for predicting, preparing for, and managing our world.” /p>
Why You Should Read It: IT professionals looking for inspiration to create possibilities rather than simply engaging through current tools will find this a must read. coping with uncertainty and accepting that we know very little allows organizations to deal with the immensity of computer-generated learning. this book can help leaders find opportunity in chaos.
4. technology & society: second edition
See Also: Linda Lael Miller – Book Series In Order
edited by deborah g. Johnson and Jameson M. wetter
book description (via mit): “writings by thinkers ranging from rokeya sakhawat hossain to bruno latour who focus on the interconnections of technology, society, and values. the Technological change does not occur in a vacuum Decisions about which technologies to develop, finance, market, and use involve ideas about values as well as calculations of costs and benefits To influence technology development for the better, we must first understand how technology and society are inextricably linked. together. Many of the texts illustrate how race and gender are intertwined with technology.”
Why You Should Read It: IT leaders who read this book can examine how people shape technology and how technology shapes people, with visions of the future ranging from technological utopias to cautionary tales. Gary Lee Downey, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Virginia Tech says, “Technologies infuse our lives even as they are always infused with our values. This carefully crafted collection helps readers analyze and critically reflect on our own relationships with technologies, recognizing that they have both technical and social content. what do you want your relationships with technologies to be like? what values? what technologies? immerse yourself in this book to discover how you and your technologies can better travel together.”
5. women of color in tech: a role model to inspire and mentor the next generation of tech innovators
by susanne tedrick
book description (via amazon): “women of color in tech: a blueprint for inspiring and mentoring the next generation of tech innovators seeks to help women of color rise above the obstacles that prevent them from pursuing and staying in tech careers Contrary to popular belief, tech careers are diverse and fun, and they go far beyond coding This book will show you that tech careers today are incredibly dynamic , and you’ll learn how your soft skills — communication, public speaking, networking — can help you succeed in tech.”
Why you should read this: CIOs and IT leaders should cultivate strong relationships and build networks with young women of color to support and encourage their tech careers. This book offers practical advice and inspirational stories to help develop the right mindset to nurture women of color and help them take their careers to the next level.
6. kubernetes security and observability
by brendan creane, amit gupta
book description (via o’reilly): “protecting, monitoring, and troubleshooting containerized workloads on kubernetes can be daunting. it requires a variety of considerations, from storage options to infrastructure and cluster configuration to implementation and runtime controls and network security Whether you’re already working on cloud-native applications or in the process of migrating to your architecture, this guide introduces key security and observability concepts and best practices to help you unleash the power of cloud-native applications. .”
Why You Should Read This: In this book, IT leaders will learn key security and observability concepts and best practices to help unlock the power of cloud-native applications and explore available technology options. to support their organizations. You’ll get practical advice on adopting a holistic security and observability approach to building and securing cloud-native applications running on Kubernetes.
[ want to learn more about creating and deploying kubernetes operators? Get O’Reilly’s free eBooks: Kubernetes Operators: Container Orchestration Platform Automation and Kubernetes Patterns for Building Applications cloud-native . ]
7. communication with data
by carl allchin
See Also: 7 Surprisingly Ghostwritten Books
book description (via o’reilly): “data is a fantastic raw resource for driving change in an organization, but too often the people who work in those organizations don’t have the skills to communicate with data effectively.with this practical book, subject matter experts will learn ways to build strengths and persuasiveness when presenting data to different groups in their organizations.once both your business and data experts possess the skills to work with data and interpret its importance, you can deal with questions and challenges across departments in your organization.”
Why you should read it: CIOs and IT professionals can get tips on finding data sources and developing data analytics. More advanced data experts will learn how to visualize data to convey findings to key business leaders more effectively.
8. the economy of data, analysis and digital transformation: theorems, laws and powers to guide the digital transformation of your organization
by bill schmarzo
book description (via amazon): “building a continuously learning and adapting organization that can extract ever-increasing levels of business, customer, and operational value from the combination of advanced data and analytics like AI and machine learning the book will help you accelerate and optimize your business operations through artificial intelligence and machine learning by the end of the book you will have the tools and techniques to drive the digital transformation of your organization.”
Why You Should Read It: IT leaders working to understand the data economy, analytics, and digital transformation will find actionable insights for their organizations. one reviewer said: “this is the best treatment of the topic i have read so far. firstly, [the bill’s] general economic principles and ‘laws’ can be adapted to your organizational context. secondly, it shows the vital connection between data, insight and transformation: in effect, it lays the digital foundation for closed-loop business analytics and business growth a great book for anyone in the organization, including and especially senior management, to understand the logic economy and the drivers behind the current focus on transformative you.”
9. everyone wants to rule the world
by r. “lightning” wang
Book Description (via Amazon): “Based on considerable original research and case studies from Wang’s acclaimed company, Constellation Research, this groundbreaking guide reveals what kinds of businesses will thrive and which ones will be crushed by the powerful forces now at work. You will ultimately understand how the business world is changing in the face of extreme competition, and more importantly, learn how to adapt now to stay relevant and in demand.” .
why you should read it: city of asheville, n.c. ice and frost & Sullivan CIO Impact Award winner Jonathan Feldman recommends this book for CIOs and IT leaders because “it lays a foundation for how to survive and thrive in the new economy ruled by tech giants, even though the tech giants seem to have the upper hand. ” Leaders looking to adapt and change their businesses to thrive among the digital giants will gain an understanding of what it takes to stay on top.
10. Beyond Digital: How Great Leaders Transform Their Organizations and Shape the Future
by paul leinwand and mahadeva matt mani
book description (via hbr): “two world-renowned strategists detail the seven leadership imperatives for transforming business in the new digital age. digital transformation is critical. but win in today’s world it requires more than digitalization, it requires understanding that the nature of competitive advantage has changed, and that being digital is not enough.”
Why You Should Read It: IT leaders and managers looking to identify solid leadership advice for the evolving digital age can be inspired by the book to set a bolder purpose and transform their organizations.
[ Where is your team’s digital transformation work stalling? Get the eBook: What’s Holding Your Digital Transformation Back? 8 questions to ask. ]