My favorite books on the subject of self-organization

My favorite books on the subject of self-organization

November 10, 2019

These are my favorite books from the #WirLiebenBücherChallenge 2019 by Stefan Berns. Thanks to Bettina Hofstätter for the nomination. Here is a compilation of my favorite books related to the topic of self-organization - for all those who want to take a quick look ...

P.S. The challenge read: "One book a day, no exceptions, no reviews, just the cover - and again a nomination under the hashtag #WirLiebenBücherChallenge."

And sorry - most of the books are in German - but the most important ones are in English, and the content is covered in my books - so if you read them, all is fine!

Day 1: "The Self-Organization of Complex Systems - Results from the Workshop of Chaos Theory" by Hermann Haken - Picus Verlag, Vienna, 2003

Small and inconspicuous - but the basis for all those who want to use the word self-organization.

The book's big brother is called "Synergetics" by Haken and Schiepek - actually a "must-read" if it weren't so thick and demanding. The remedy is my book suggestion from day 7 - everything is summarized in it and related to the topic of "Agile."

Day 2: "Serenity begins in the head - How to develop a relaxed lifestyle" by Thomas Hohensee - Kreuz Verlag, 2004

Again, my favorite book is small and inconspicuous - but self-organization starts with yourself. The book helped me a lot here, and "serenity" opens up the possibility of thinking new things.

Day 3: "Everything I really need in life, I learned from Star Trek!" by Dave Marinaccio - Heyne Verlag

That was my "fun joker" in the challenge - but where better to learn something about life and leadership than in Star Trek? By the way, my favorite captain is J. Archer from the NX-01 - just to say that :-)

So let's be a bit serious ;-) Self-organization also has a lot to do with leadership - how do you set up a team that can develop its full potential when it counts?

Day 4: "The Bottleneck Rules" by Clarke Ching - 2018 - free, self-published

Self-organization is practically inseparable from the Theory of Constraints (TOC) by E. Goldratt. Haken/Schiepek describe the sociological side - Goldratt, the control methodologies for it.

"The Bottleneck Rules" by Clarke Ching (whom I appreciate very much) is the easiest and most amusing introduction you can imagine. Over almost 70 pages, he describes how to develop a sixth sense for "bottlenecks" and a seventh sense for how to easily dissolve them - absolutely worth reading and also cheap - i.e., free.

Day 5: "The Goal - A Novel about Process Optimization" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox - North River Press, 1984

The classic - the origin of the Theory of Constraints. An absolute "must-read!!" This was also the most-clicked post - with the most comments - because many people associate this book with a breakthrough in their personal view of the world. Even Jeff Bezos says this is one of the three books every manager must have read.

In fact, this is about production and is therefore not directly applicable to everyone - but the story itself is always worth reading. There are also a lot of books in the TOC universe, e.g., "Critical Chain" and my absolute favorite book, "The Choice," or "Pride & Joy" - all novels that somehow fit together. So if you start with "The Goal," you usually continue reading until you have read all the TOC books, and each one is worth it.

Day 6: "I'm Sorry I Broke Your Company" by Karen Phelan

This is such a "fuck-up" book, but it is not trashy - it is truly foundational. It's a reflection on what doesn't work in counseling.

But what is good about the book is that it also shows how it can work well - what the success factors are ... yes, and then you are back to self-organization and the people.

Day 7: "Management 4.0 - Handbook for Agile Practices - Release 3.0," edited and co-authored by Alfred Oswald and Wolfram Müller, 2018

Of course, it is no coincidence that I chose self-organization as the theme for my favorite books - because that is my favorite topic. And 1,000 thanks to Alfred for introducing me to the topic.

The book is sophisticated and certainly a bit ahead of its time. It also has little to do with Agile - it applies everywhere. So just read it. If you want to start immediately, you have two options:

1. You can get the book for free - join our DolphinUniverse Community and do one of the courses; then you can download it: Join the community for free!

1. Alternatively, just take a quick look at my three-article series on self-organization - (1) theory, (2) process, (3) practice ... Click here for the first article: Self-organization 1/3 - why managers should know more about it - a short introduction