Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/269179
76 March/April 2014 BizEd bookshelf PARTN E R S AN D R IVALS AUTHOR: Wendy Dobson PUBLISHER: University of Toronto Press, US$32.95 DOBSON DOESN'T wASTE time or mince words as she lays out her central premise: "The relationship between China and the United States is central to any strategic view of the world in the twenty-first century." But the two countries have a complex relationship, freighted with history and marked by rivalry in the modern era. She analyzes the factors that will shape their relationship in the coming decade, from the deep interdependence between countries to China's internal political and economic challenges. She then explains how these factors are affected by China's view of itself as a great nation that has experienced periodic humiliations. Dobson hopes that, if they work hard to understand each other's cultures and respect each other's goals, China and the U.S. can avoid the "traditional Great Power competition." She writes, "In a deeply connected world, the consequences of conflict as a result of misunderstanding, miscalculation, or accident are prohibitively high, and there is little place for zero-sum politics." J UGAAD I N NOVATION AUTHORS: Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu, Simone Ahuja PUBLISHER: Jossey-Bass, US$27.95 wHILE wESTERN corporations invest in highly structured R&D that doesn't always yield results, small-scale entrepreneurs in emerg- ing nations solve wicked problems with inventions that are simple, creative, effective, and inexpensive. These entrepreneurs, say the authors, are embracing the spirit of jugaad, a Hindi word that means "an improvised solution born from ingenuity." In other words, these entrepreneurs see adversity as an opportunity, not a setback. They do more with less; they're flexible and quick to adapt; they seek out underserved custom- ers; and they employ empathy and passion instead of market research and focus groups. The authors profile entrepreneurs from BRIC nations who have created inven- tions such as a refrigerator that needs no energy source and a cell phone for the blind. The authors— Radjou and Prabhu of the Univer- sity of Cambridge and Ahuja, a consultant—believe Western corpo- rations can integrate jugaad prin- ciples into their own cultures. In fact, Western organizations must if they are to deal with the realities of today's complex world: "scarcity, diversity, interconnectivity, veloc- ity, and breakneck globalization." Their book is both a sobering and exciting read. SCALI NG U P EXCE LLE NCE AUTHORS: Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao PUBLISHER: Crown Business, US$26 MOST BUSINESSES STRIVE for continuous improvement and additional growth, but how can leaders infuse enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence through- out the expanding organization? Sutton and Rao, both of Stanford, interview dozens of business lead- ers at Google, Pixar, IDEO, and other innovative companies to develop guidelines for proselytizing excellence. These include: Spread a mindset, not just a footprint; engage all the senses; link short- term realities to long-term dreams; accelerate accountability; avoid the traps of impatience and incompetence; add and subtract protocols; and slow down when neces- sary. They're quick to point out that there's no one-size-fits-all formula for success, and they acknowledge that scal- ing up excellence can be a messy process with occasional missteps. The task is also unend- ing, they write: Organizations that sustain excellence are motivated by "that often uncomfortable urge for constant innovation, driven by the nagging feeling that things are never quite good enough." Uncomfort- able, maybe—but highly productive. COM PETE S MARTE R, NOT HAR D E R AUTHOR: William Putsis PUBLISHER: Wiley, US$24 IT DOESN'T MATTER how great your product is or how efficiently