100 books like The Insider's Guide to Culture Change

By Siobhan McHale,

Here are 100 books that The Insider's Guide to Culture Change fans have personally recommended if you like The Insider's Guide to Culture Change. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

David Worrell Author Of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Financial Statements

From my list on building culture, teamwork, and leadership.

Why am I passionate about this?

Entrepreneurs have a tough lot in life. We dream of creating value for others, yet we are often cursed to pay a huge price in our own lives. My experience as an entrepreneur is no different – I struggled through three mediocre business startups, learning a little bit more with each one. Along the way, I have put my lessons learned into writing: textbooks, how-to guides and even cover stories for Entrepreneur magazine. Combining my own experience and the best advice from other entrepreneurs, I have systematically improved my current company… and have finally broken free of the curse! Now I love to share my experience with other business owners like you!

David's book list on building culture, teamwork, and leadership

David Worrell Why did David love this book?

Building a great company and a great team takes more than love and data. In Leaders Eat Last, I learned the science behind why we join teams, why we leave a team, and how to build a team where people want to stay.

It turns out that being a part of a team is in our DNA. Literally. We have survived as a species by working together, and our brains produce pleasure chemicals when we are standing shoulder to shoulder with a co-worker.

But that’s not what makes this book great. Simon Sinek references both large companies and the military to make his case. Among other thoughtful insights, Sinek argues that the dedication, drive, and sacrifice that make the Air Force such a formidable team can be similarly created within work teams and companies. 

This is a must-read if you want to really understand why and how we work together…

By Simon Sinek,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Leaders Eat Last as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Leadership is not a rank, it is a responsibility. Leadership is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of those in your charge.

When we take care of our people, our people will take care of us. They will help see that our cause becomes a reality.

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, internationally bestselling author of Start With Why, investigates these great leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don't just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business…


Book cover of The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

TJ Kostecky Author Of Eyes Up!: Discover Your Full Potential and Form Meaningful Connections Through Subtle Shifts in Perspective

From my list on self-help on life and leadership that work!.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I first started coaching at the tender age of 15, my main passion in life has been helping others find their own passions. Over more than four decades as a coach, educator, and mentor, I’ve read a lot of self-help books. They don’t always deliver. But some gems in the genre have truly helped me—along with the thousands of people I’ve recommended them to—experience significant personal growth and discover a richer, more meaningful existence. It’s my pleasure to share the best of the best here. Pick one up today and I promise your life will be better for it! 

TJ's book list on self-help on life and leadership that work!

TJ Kostecky Why did TJ love this book?

Why are some people better leaders than others? I’ve never believed they’re just born that way (or I wouldn’t be in the business of leadership training!). No book has shaped my thinking on this subject more than this one. It’s another title I’ve recommended more times than I can remember. 

The big ‘aha’ moment for me in Coyle’s book was recognizing that effective leadership is not about one individual but the group as a whole. That’s allowed me to show more vulnerability as a coach, which has inspired confidence in my players. It’s helped me create a safe environment in the classroom, allowing my students to thrive. Whatever group you belong to—at home, at work, in the community—will invariably get stronger, healthier, and more successful from the many fascinating takeaways found in the pages of The Culture Code.

By Daniel Coyle,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Culture Code as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'A marvel of insight and practicality' Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
____________________________

How do you build and sustain a great team?

The Culture Code reveals the secrets of some of the best teams in the world - from Pixar to Google to US Navy SEALs - explaining the three skills such groups have mastered in order to generate trust and a willingness to collaborate. Combining cutting-edge science, on-the-ground insight and practical ideas for action, it offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.…


Book cover of The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business

Marianne Broadbent Author Of The Agile Executive: Embracing Career Risks and Rewards

From my list on aspiring women leaders.

Why am I passionate about this?

My passion for leadership and aspiring women leaders comes from my own leadership experiences and working with women and men executives and aspiring executives, every day. I had to make some difficult work choices in my 20s and 30s (with four young children) and was wonderfully supported by some wise women. Many of my choices were different from my peers and we continue to have to make more difficult choices than our male colleagues. We need to help each other, every day. I lead a blended life co-leading an executive search and leadership advisory firm, while also being a mother, grandmother, wife, mentor, friend, and lover of good music, theatre, food, wine, and curious people. 

Marianne's book list on aspiring women leaders

Marianne Broadbent Why did Marianne love this book?

The Advantage lays out a compelling case that if an organization has strong organizational health it is well placed to succeed in its goals and in its industry.

Good organizational health embraces great teamwork, clear and consistent company culture and goals, and how to have effective meetings. Lencioni brings together many pragmatic and practical perspectives through many years of working with executive teams.

The key element for me is his articulation of the ‘five dysfunctions of teams’ and then how to address these. That one chart has been pivotal to my facilitation of many challenging executive discussions with clients, particularly when paired with Covey’s approach to trust and trust building.

Modelling Trust is the first step in building effective executive teams. 

By Patrick M. Lencioni,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Advantage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There is a competitive advantage out there, arguably more powerful than any other. Is it superior strategy? Faster innovation? Smarter employees? No, New York Times best-selling author, Patrick Lencioni, argues that the seminal difference between successful companies and mediocre ones has little to do with what they know and how smart they are and more to do with how healthy they are. In this book, Lencioni brings together his vast experience and many of the themes cultivated in his other best-selling books and delivers a first: a cohesive and comprehensive exploration of the unique advantage organizational health provides. Simply put,…


Book cover of Remote Not Distant: Design a Company Culture That Will Help You Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace

Brad Federman Author Of Cultivating Culture: 101 Ways to Foster Engagement in 15 Minutes or Less

From my list on improving workplace culture.

Why am I passionate about this?

I see it every day. People wake up and trudge to work, resentfully working at a company that falls short of its promises and values. This is a problem that I've dedicated my career to resolving. My job is to ‘help organizations discover and live their possible’. This mission has guided me throughout my career as an international author, speaker, coach, and consultant with more than 25 years of corporate experience. Your brand promise doesn't determine your customer’s experience, your culture does. The problem is that we see culture as a means to an end leading us to a “set it and forget it mentality.” Culture is a living, breathing thing that must be nurtured.  

Brad's book list on improving workplace culture

Brad Federman Why did Brad love this book?

The world changed the moment we were hit with a global pandemic. Most books are out-of-date and irrelevant. Not this one.

This book is all about culture in a post-pandemic world. He built this book from extensive interviews and research. I know too many companies that are struggling with culture and remote workforces.  This book is timely, relevant, and sorely needed.  

By Gustavo Razzetti,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Remote Not Distant as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rethink everything you know about office culture, hybrid work, and remote teams.

"If you want to thrive in a post-pandemic world, read this book!" --Dr. Tasha Eurich, New York Times Bestselling Author of Insight

"The future of work isn't fixed; it's waiting to be built. Remote, Not Distant offers a tactical blueprint to building a better future for all." --Darren Murph, Head of Remote, GitLab

"Gustavo Razzetti captures the return to the office/remote debate so well and enables us to understand how we can utilize the benefits of remote working without compromising on having a great company culture. A great…


Book cover of Tempered Radicals: How Everyday Leaders Inspire Change at Work

Jonathan Stutz Author Of Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders: A Guide to Building a Culture of Belonging

From my list on teaching cross-cultural teams & organizations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born in Toronto, yet spent formative years in Atlanta during the height of the civil rights movement. My family shared values dedicated to social justice and actively working against discrimination. Yet at times, I endured antisemitic jokes and name-calling while observing the parents of my “friends” using racist and hateful language toward Black people. We moved to the Seattle area where I later studied political science at the University of Washington, then earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership from the City University of Seattle. For 20+ years, I led global teams at Microsoft and Amazon.


Jonathan's book list on teaching cross-cultural teams & organizations

Jonathan Stutz Why did Jonathan love this book?

This book gave me a framework to understand change management at a strategic level, that you don’t have to create an enormous change all at once. Instead, you can take small, intentional actions. Meyerson describes this action as “dropping a pebble,” one that causes a ripple, which in turn motivates someone else to drop a pebble that also causes a ripple, which in turn motivates someone else to drop a pebble, and so on.

It is the aggregation of all those pebbles that leads to waves of systemic change. I also found Meyerson’s “rocking the boat” metaphor incredibly valuable. I learned the importance of having the courage and heart to do what is right and not what is expected. I love the “tempered radical” moniker. You need to rock the boat to effect change, but not so hard that you knock yourself and others out of the boat. You need…

By Debra E. Meyerson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tempered Radicals as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Very well researched, very readable. Anyone who feels they don't fit in or who manages those who don't fit in will want to take a look." - "Inc. Magazine". In this engaging book, Debra E. Meyerson reveals how adaptive, family-friendly, and socially responsible work places are built not by revolutionaries but by those she calls "tempered radicals," a group of people that balance company conformity with individual rebellion. While their differences often put them at odds with the "mainstream" organizational culture, Meyerson argues that these "everyday leaders" act as crucial sources of new ideas, alternative perspectives, and organizational learning and…


Book cover of The Anticipatory Organization: Turn Disruption and Change into Opportunity and Advantage

Joey Havens Author Of Leading with Significance: How to Create a Magnetic, People-First Culture

From my list on creating a people-first workplace culture.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about giving people the benefit of good intentions and my faith calls me to care and serve others. Today, I believe my purpose is to help inspire leaders to trust in the inherent good in people while caring and serving them in intentional ways that leads to high performance. I have been blessed immensely and want to give back to others so their journey can be one of significance. As former CEO of my company, I had no roadmap which made our journey even more difficult. Now, I have experienced the joy, the fulfillment, and the abundance of building a people-first culture.  Together we can make a difference for so many people.

Joey's book list on creating a people-first workplace culture

Joey Havens Why did Joey love this book?

We are in an exponential world today and we grew up in an incremental world for businesses. 

Daniel not only helps us understand how to anticipate more of the future, he teaches us how to anticipate which is one of the most important skills for business leaders today. After reading his book, I also worked through his anticipatory leader course. 

By understanding the power of being anticipatory, I have used his techniques to lead our firm to bigger opportunities. In the future of work, anticipating what people will want and need, provides a distinctive advantage. 

By Daniel Burrus,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Anticipatory Organization as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Technology-driven change is accelerating at an exponential rate, but moving fast in the wrong direction will only get you into trouble faster! Reacting to problems and digital disruptions, no matter how agile you and your organization are, is no longer good enough. The Anticipatory Organization teaches you how to separate the Hard Trends that will happen, from the Soft Trends that might happen, allowing you to jump ahead with low risk and the confidence certainty can provide. Accelerate innovation and actively shape the future - before someone else does it for you! Digital transformation has divided us all into two…


Book cover of Rocking the Boat: How Tempered Radicals Effect Change Without Making Trouble

Carol T. Kulik Author Of Human Resources for the Non-HR Manager

From my list on making work a better place to be.

Why am I passionate about this?

The average person spends over 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime – that’s roughly one quarter to one third of a person’s life. I’m an academic researcher who studies work. I know how to design workplaces that are good for organizations (high productivity) and the people who work in them (high employee well-being). But if we leave it all up to senior management, we won’t generate positive changes fast enough. There’s a robust body of evidence that we can all use to make our local workplaces more supportive, inclusive, and fulfilling. I’m on a mission to make the world a better place, one workplace at a time. 

Carol's book list on making work a better place to be

Carol T. Kulik Why did Carol love this book?

This book explains how any employee – not matter their role – can take action to make their workplaces better (without burning career bridges behind them).

I am inspired by Professor Meyerson’s insistence that any employee (not just managers, not just the CEO) can be an agent for positive change. What I particularly love about this book is her focus on small wins. Positive change in work environments is about accumulating small changes, not about huge transformational restructures.

I also love the fact that the book’s recommendations can be applied to any social issue. You can follow your passion to make your workplace more inclusive, more environmentally sustainable, or more socially responsible.

By Debra E. Meyerson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rocking the Boat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Most people feel at odds with their organizations at one time or another: Managers with families struggle to balance professional and personal responsibilities in often unsympathetic firms. Members of minority groups strive to make their organizations better for others like themselves without limiting their career paths. Socially or environmentally conscious workers seek to act on their values at firms more concerned with profits than global poverty or pollution. Yet many firms leave little room for differences, and people who don't "fit in" conclude that their only option is to assimilate or leave. In Rocking the Boat, Debra E. Meyerson presents…


Book cover of Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection—Now and in an Uncertain Future

Anne Jacoby Author Of Born to Create: How Creativity Sparks Connection, Innovation, and Belonging in Our New World of Work

From my list on organizational culture to spark creativity and connection.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m on a mission to cultivate creativity at work! After starting my career in the performing arts, I made a pivot to corporate life over 20 years ago and haven’t looked back. What I’ve discovered is how essential creativity is in any workplace, and how its impact on organizational culture is underrated. Effective leaders prioritize connection, creativity, and make culture a strategic priority. After learning from hundreds of artists, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, I wrote this book to highlight their stories—unpacking how they bring creativity to life in their work. My hope is readers leave with tools to spark more meaningful connection and creative work experiences.

Anne's book list on organizational culture to spark creativity and connection

Anne Jacoby Why did Anne love this book?

I’m a longtime fan of the work BetterUp Labs has done in the research field of human performance, and this book, co-written by BetterUp’s Chief Innovation Officer Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, is a delightful collection of its insights.

With additional guidance from co-author Marty Seligman, commonly known as the father of positive psychology, Tomorrowmind offers an anthropological perspective on the evolution of our work experience and how our cultural expectations have shifted.

By shining a light on helpful case studies throughout, it demonstrates how we’ll need to change our individual mindsets and behaviors to operate effectively in the future of work. If you care about creativity and connection in your workplace, this will be an important addition for your bookshelf.

By Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, Martin E. P. Seligman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tomorrowmind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Thrive in your career with this radical, future-proofed approach to work in a world where automation, globalization, and downsizing are an urgent and threatening reality—from experts in workplace mental health, Gabriella Kellerman, CPO of BetterUp, and world-renowned psychologist Martin Seligman.

In recent years, workplace toxicity, industry volatility, and technology-driven turnover have threatened the psychological well-being of employees. When we can’t flourish at work, both personal success and corporate productivity suffer. As we sit on the cusp of some of the most turbulent economic changes in history, many of us wonder how we can not only survive but flourish in our…


Book cover of Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates

Eileen McDargh Author Of Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge, and Reclaim What Matters

From my list on for surviving and thriving in disruptive times.

Why am I passionate about this?

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to make a difference—by helping others become wiser and/or happier. But how? Colleagues, clients, and friends tell me that I have a capacity for energy that is boundless. I resisted that statement. It sounded “fluffy”. How could I make a difference if I saw “energy” as being some flighty firefly? Then, when I went through 2 bouts of burnout, I realized that energy was the secret—the secret to resilience, the secret to growth and service. Reading, writing, and speaking fill me with the energy to grow, learn, laugh, and serve. I trust these books and my writing will bring the same to you.

Eileen's book list on for surviving and thriving in disruptive times

Eileen McDargh Why did Eileen love this book?

To live and work in a world of turmoil and change requires courage. Resilience is a life skill that can be learned—but it takes courage. In this book, Hurt and Dye come up with very practical but realistic ways to identify organizational practices that encourage or cut-off valuable conversations.

I’m in the field of communications and their advice is not only timely but timeless. I reach for their book when I went to coach someone who is overwhelmed by the workplace. It might be a manager trying to hold a team together, or individual contributors trying to determine if a role is right for them.  Hold this on your bookshelf. I guarantee you will use it for yourself—or for others.

By Karin Hurt, David Dye,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Courageous Cultures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From executives complaining that their teams don't contribute ideas to employees giving up because their input isn't valued--company culture is the culprit. Courageous Cultures provides a road map to build a high-performance, high-engagement culture around sharing ideas, solving problems, and rewarding contributions from all levels.

Many leaders are convinced they have an open environment that encourages employees to speak up and are shocked when they learn that employees are holding back. Employees have ideas and want to be heard. Leadership wants to hear them.

Too often, however, employees and leaders both feel that no one cares about making things better.…


Book cover of Corporate Lifecycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to Do About It

Eric G. Flamholtz Author Of Growing Pains: Building Sustainably Successful Organizations

From my list on the stages and challenges of organizational growth.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm Professor Emeritus at UCLA and have also been on the faculty of Columbia University and The University of Michigan, where I received my PhD degree. I founded Management Systems Consulting, which works with entrepreneurial firms in the US and globally to scale up, in 1978. I've served on the board of a firm (99 Cents Only Stores) that scaled up and was a NYSE listed firm. I've advised CEOs who have created global champion firms and been recognized as leaders in their space. I've authored or co-authored several books including Creating Family Business Champions; Corporate Culture: The Ultimate Strategic Advantage; Changing the Game; and Leading Strategic Change.

Eric's book list on the stages and challenges of organizational growth

Eric G. Flamholtz Why did Eric love this book?

The framework presented in Corporate Lifecycles deals with the same core issue of Stages and Challenges of Organizational Growth as dealt with in my own book, but from a different perspective. The author is a former academic who has developed his own framework of corporate lifecycles and his methodology of organizations working through them. The book presents a different framework of corporate life cycles and emphasizes the managerial styles that are appropriate to reach stage of the corporate lifecycle. The author has seen and worked with a large number of companies that have employed his methods. He presents his perspective and insights for this role as a participant-observer. 

By Ichak Adizes,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Corporate Lifecycles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Likens corporations to living organisms and traces their developmental stages, discussing the normal, even healthy problems that lead to growth at these stages, as well as the unusual problems that can cause a company's death


Book cover of Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't
Book cover of The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
Book cover of The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business

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