Top 100 List
Culture Books
Learn how to build a great workplace culture. A list of the best culture books, crowdsourced from LinkedIn readers.
Daniel Coyle
Kim Scott
Amy Edmondson
Nancy Kline
James Clear
INCLUDING BOOKS BY:
CULTURE BOOKS OVERVIEW
The Hardest Work You'll Do
It’s scary to think about the amount of time wasted on culture change. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a crucial activity.
The problem is that many leaders approach culture change in the wrong way.
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You might have seen this story play out.
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It’s the annual “culture” day for the leadership team. After a few “trust falls” and fun games the team get down to business. “Our culture isn’t working, let's brainstorm our company values.” A few hours later “Trust, Honesty, Collaboration, Fun, Respect”. “Let’s present these at the next company-wide meeting. And don’t forget to print our values onto the company stationary.”
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It’s an oversimplification but a common reality.
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When changing culture, it’s easy to focus on the wrong things. Leaders assume that values are important. Which they are. But you don’t start there.
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These culture books will help you avoid the same mistakes. You'll finally build a culture to be proud of. One where everyone can do the best, most meaningful work.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
Toby's Top Culture Books
These are the best culture books I've read. Curated into a self-directed journey. Pick the books that make the most sense in your context. I can guarantee, that even if you only read one of these books, you'll find a breakthrough.
INSPIRE HIGH-PERFORMANCE
Grow a Coaching Culture
I share content to help leaders become more coach-like. When your managers lead like coaches, it creates a culture of high performance. These books will help you build a coaching culture. But don't forget, it might not be right for you.
THE BEST OF THE REST
LinkedIn Book Recommendations
I asked LinkedIn for the best culture books. I received 73 suggestions.
I've curated the list along with the person who recommended the book. If you'd like to learn more about it, please do reach out to them!
๐ Recommended more than once (so they must be good!)โ
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What You Do is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz | Dan Flatt, Linda Fane
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Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, PhD | Kathryn (Kate) Burkart, Christine Paquette
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Walking the Talk by Carolyn Taylor | Lorraine Farah, Silke Zanker
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Change the Culture, Change the Game by Roger Connors | Clara W Estanqueiro, Kamran Abolhassani
๐ The culture books I've summarised:
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How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi | Paul R. Johnson | Summary
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The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier | Kevin Miller | Summary
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The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker | Volker Maiborn | Summary
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๐ I've read these and can personally recommend them!
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Organisational Culture and Leadership by Ed Schein | Rasoul Baghban
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Humble Leadership by Ed Schein | Padmanabhan T
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Reinventing Organisation by Frederic Laloux | Ayowale Obineye
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni | Rares Man
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๐ These made it to my to-read list:
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๐ The best of the rest:
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Own Your Culture by Bretton Putter | George Addy-Boye Fiadzigbey
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The Corporate Tribe by Danielle Braun, Jytske Kramer | Marco Maurik
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Change the Story, Change the Future by David Korten | Amit Yaron
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The 15 Commitments by Diana Chapman, Jim Dethmer, Kaley Klemp | David McLean
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Fish!: A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Result by Harry Paul, Stephen Lundin | Ricardo Caldas
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Future Focused by Ian Johnston and Rose Gailey | Boris Diekmann
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Building a Culture of Innovation by Jo Geraghty | Kamila Kowenzowska
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The A-Z of Organization Culture by John O. Burdett | David McLean
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Corporate Rebels by Joost Minnaar and Pim de Morree | Zaher Alhaj
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Courageous Cultures by Karin Hurt, David Dye | Anithaa Janarthanan
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The Leader's Guide to Unconscious Bias by Pamela Fuller | Paul R. Johnson
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The War of Art & Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield | Bini Maryles
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Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism by Tom Peters | Kevin Miller
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The Way we’re working isn’t working by Tony Schwartz | Boris Diekmann