by Siman Sinek

(The Infinite Game) Companies that focus on winning on the short run and on dominating their competitors play a finite game in an infinite universe, resulting in less trust, collaboration and innovation within the team. In an infinite game, the goal is not to be THE best, but simply to be better every day, true to the goal that drives us. Using (American) examples, the author describes the characteristics of the leader who chooses the infinite game: driven by a higher purpose, he creates trust, draws inspiration from his rivals, acts flexibly. He has the courage to lead. This book invites us to reflect on the meaning of our work, our leadership practices and our tendency to play the end game in our organizations.

“So many leaders, even some of the best-intentioned ones, often ask, "how do I get the most out of my people?" This is a flawed question, however. A better question to ask is, "How do I create an environment in which my people can work to their best?"

by Sébastien Bohler

(The Human Bug) Instinctively individualistic and selfish, our brains are governed by our primary needs. And these instincts, in order to perpetuate our species, tend to be reinforced through millions of years of evolution. Being also endowed with extraordinary intelligence, we have shaped a world that reinforces our behaviours. We have entered a vicious circle: the more we have, the more we want, destroying our environment and therefore ourselves. Faced with a systemic problem, this somewhat reductive theory relies solely on neuroscience. It denies our diversity and forgets the collaborative aspect, which is essential in our evolution. Faced with our degeneration, the author can only conclude that we are heading for disaster. Even if he suggests solutions through our consciousness and education, all this seems a bit simplistic and fatalistic and forgets the role of collective structures. A challenging analysis but to be taken with caution.

« Nous sommes emportés dans une fuite en avant de surconsommation, de surproduction, de surexploitation, de suralimentation, de surendettement et de surchauffe, parce qu’une partie de notre cerveau nous y pousse de manière automatique, sans que nous ayons actuellement les moyens de le freiner.»

by Laetitia Vitaud

(From Labor to creative work) The mass economy has generated mass labor. Much more than a piece of paper binding the employee to his employer, the employee's work contract is the basis of our entire economic and social system built with industrialization and Fordism. A system that allowed social ascension during the good years of the industrial era, at the acceptable price of a relationship of alienation to work. With the transformation of our economy, we are witnessing the end of the promises of this wage system: the service economy, digital technology and the need for personal fulfilment are shaking up traditional patterns and represent a tremendous opportunity to give a new meaning to our work: to rediscover a certain form of craftsmanship, in the sense of mastery of one's work output. The author leads us into a deep reflection on today’s and tomorrow’s forms of work and on the underlying values of our society.

"Le salariat, c’est-à-dire le fait de louer sa force de travail au temps, indépendamment de la finalité de ce travail et de la valeur qu’il permet de créer, et sans autonomie quant aux moyens de l’effectuer, représentait la conséquence inévitable de l’aliénation du travailleur "

by Shirzad Chamine

We cultivate the belief that hard work is necessary to succeed and then be happy. Our brains desperately hang on to problems rather than to opportunities. But there are other ways to increase performance and well-being. This path only depends on how we look at things. Based on research in neuroscience, performance science and behavioral psychology, the author makes us aware of our brakes to make room for other areas of our brain that allow us to take height, to use discernment and to transform each obstacle into an achievable challenge.

“If you are calmly noticing what isn’t working or what has gone wrong in order to figure out how to move forward, you are discerning. If you are feeling upset, disappointed, anxious, or resentful, you are judging”

by Liz Wiseman, ‎Greg McKeown

Some people inspire you while others make you feel paralyzed? In business, multipliers pull you up, make you go further, build teams whose performance is sustainable. This research work explores the characteristics of "multipliers": they are curious, they exploit talents, they challenge, they explore, they push you forward, they engage teams in a project, they create a climate favourable to the development of the project, of the company and of the teams, and they encourage trial.

« Diminishers are Decision Makers who try to sell their decisions to others. Multipliers are Debate Makers who generate real buy-in.”

by Kate Raworth

We have based the principles of our economies on the postulates of universal growth. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that infinite growth in a finite world is bound to creak at some point. So we need a new economic narrative that fits between the social floor and the environmental ceiling. Reconnecting to our world, connecting to each other. The author evokes new patterns of thinking for a sustainable economy ... An inspiring research that repositions us as social, interdependent and cooperating beings, beings of approximation that depend on the living world.

« Au cœur de l’économie du XXe siècle se trouve le portrait de l’homme économique rationnel, selon lequel nous sommes égoïstes, isolés, des êtres de calcul, dont les goûts sont immuables et qui dominent la nature – et ce portrait a façonné ce que nous sommes devenus. »

by Mickaël Drouard, Stéphane Pensivy, Yann Bresson

(Adaptative Governance : Unleash the power to act in Business)  Organizations are waking up, we are becoming aware of the strength of collective performance. Giving a collective meaning, multiplying energies, capitalizing on our interdependencies. Inspiring ideas, methods anchored in practice, an ideas box to draw from and with a few notes of humor. This book challenges some HR principles, firmly anchored in our beliefs, to put the human being and the relationship at the center of the operating principles.

« le principal capital de l’entreprise est l’énergie des personnes qui y travaillent »

by Laszlo Bock

HR practices are evolving to put the human being and the relationship at the center of the practices. Through his experience, the author shares with us his policy on human management at Google, sometimes by shaking up traditional practices that are well established in companies. Very much in the American style, a series of "recipes" for developing a culture of innovation and performance within companies: the active involvement of people in the company at the heart of HR practices (recruitment, skills development), the use of data in HR, nudging, HR practices at the service of creativity and innovation. With a bit of hindsight, this reading prompts reflection on the very close relationship between corporate culture and HR practices.

“The most talented and creative people cannot be forced to work.”

by Patrick Lencioni

The members of your team are all individually competent but collectively, your organization does not achieve its objectives? This book resonates with us, we all feel through this fable a sense of "déjà vu", situations that we have not been able to untangle. Very easy to read in a few hours, simple without being simplistic ... The story explores the key elements of cohesion and performance of a team: trust, open debate, commitment to implementation, collegial responsibility, achievement of collective goals of teams.

“It's as simple as this. When people don't unload their opinions and feel like they've been listened to, they won't really get on board.”

by Alexandre Gérard

(The manager who didn't want to be a boss anymore). It is possible to manage your company by giving your employees a voice. Unlike some well-established beliefs in management, people like to work. Let's stop making rules for the 3% of people who cheat... And above all, let's not deprive ourselves of the collective intelligence of the company. Through his inspiring testimony as a CEO who transformed the culture of his company, the author reveals some keys to reposition employees at the heart of the company's decisions and operations.

«Dans l’entreprise libérée, «c’est celui qui fait qui sait». C’est donc à chaque équipe qu’il revient de gérer ce qui, dans une entreprise classique, est dicté par la hiérarchie»

by Théo Compernolle

We mix hyper connection and hyper efficiency. The efficiency of multitasking is (un)fortunately a myth, our brain is not made to jump constantly from one element to another. Our intelligence needs a favourable and mono-focused environment to develop. Based on research, this book challenges us on digital ubiquity, on our link to permanent connection. Some suggestions for preserving work zones, to avoid our brain being in permanent connection/disconnection mode: "Disconnect to reflect", "Ruthlessly and radically reduce switches", "Disconnect to have a break".

“to be useful, to develop understanding, insight and knowledge, the information has to be reflected on and stored in our long-term memory by our archiving brain. This is simply impossible to do without disconnecting.”

by José Luis Alvarez and Silviya Svejenova

In our cultures, sharing roles is rarely considered a good practice when it comes to taking responsibility, since we don't know how to draw a clear line on who is responsible for what. But does this matter when collegiality is proving to be much more effective? The author explores the (growing) phenomenon of duos at the top of organizations. A little difficult to read, this interesting research highlights the added value of such constellations and identifies the key success factors: cognitive sharing at the very basis of the pleasure of co-creation, a relationship of trust based on affection, individual space and common areas allowing each person to find his or her own vital space.

“Professional duos that have been built on the ground of an existing affective relationship are more likely to establish a strong working bond of mutual respect and collaboration»

by Steven Rogelberg

Managing meetings seems to be an intractable problem for many companies. Based on research, the author highlights the destructive impact of our meetings on the performance of organizations. The author explores some solutions on how to transform meetings. Some interesting ideas to explore, just be careful to avoid the trap of "ready-made recipes". Beyond the meetings, it feeds the reflection on the posture of leader, the collective dynamics of organizations, the decision centers.

« When planning an event, we think carefully about the details, the flow, the experience, and the approach. The same mindset and process should occur when planning a meeting.»