Wordage Reading List

Nigel Nicholson has written and lectured about leadership in family firms; the business applications of evolutionary psychology; personality and management development; personality, risk and decision-making in finance; as well as career planning and development. His reading list is similarly and stimulatingly eclectic.
Copyright 2012 London Business School

01 The Moral Animal

Robert Wright
Wright explores timeless questions of the human condition through the lens of evolution. In the first popular account of what is known as evolutionary psychology he answers questions about how we as a species achieve reproductive fitness the ultimate criterion for any breed. Thus does he enable readers to understand the psycho-biology that makes us who we are. (480 pages, Abacus, 1996)

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02 The Adapted Mind:

Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture Jerome H Barkow, Leda Cosmides and John Tooby (Editors)
Written by the first and leading exponents of evolutionary psychology, this book is an intense, scholarly reference for those truly interested in this area of study. (688 pages, Oxford University Press USA, 1996)

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03 The Origins of Virtue

Matt Ridley
Does kindness serve a purpose in the lives of human beings? His carefully crafted arguments and easy writing style make this an uplifting book to read, offering a compelling faith in the human capacity to self-organise for adaptive success. (304 pages, Penguin, 1997)

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04 Consilience
Edward O Wilson
In Consilience (meaning a jumping together), biologist Edward O Wilson forcefully argues that the gaps between the sciences and the arts should not endure. If you want to understand how seemingly disparate areas of study are actually connected, look no further. (374 pages, Abacus, 2000)

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05 The Curse of the Self:

Self-Awareness, Egotism and the Quality of Human Life Mark R Leary
If you ever feel hindered by pondering what happened in the past or worrying about what will happen in the future, this book takes a hard look at the unique human capacity for self-reflection. (236 pages, Oxford University Press USA, 2007)

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06 Guns, Germs and Steel:

A Short History of Everybody for the Past 13,000 years Jared Diamond
Why here and not there? If youre concerned that your global history just isnt up to snuff, his book can help. An intense undertaking including essentially very major factor in our growth as a species, the book combines any elements into one innovative work for true lovers of knowledge. (480 pages, Vintage, 2005)

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07 The Happiness Hypothesis:

Putting Ancient Wisdom to the Test of Modern Science Jonathan Haidt
Combining science and wisdom from older cultures, Haidt has compiled different ways of thinking about happiness and the human condition. One reader called the book an underrated masterpiece, and I have to agree. (297 pages, Arrow, 2007)

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08 Hierarchy in the Forest:

The Evolution of Egalitarian Behaviour Christopher Boehm
This anthropologist-author has written a complex work with much to say on how we, as a species, have changed over time. (304 pages, Harvard University Press, 2001)

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09 Not by Genes Alone:

How Culture Transformed Human Evolution Peter J Richerson and Robert Boyd
In this authoritative book, the authors argue that culture and biology are inseparable, and evolve together. It shows that our culture is much a part of our biology as our bodies, and how it evolves to meet our changing needs. (342 pages, University of Chicago Press, 2006)

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10 The Irrational Organisation:

Irrationality As a Basis for Organisational Action and Change Peter J Richerson and Robert Boyd
The gap between thought and action is a necessary feature of organisational life, and until we understand how these play out we are in danger of mistaking the true intent and meaning of how organisations and their leaders act. (208 pages, John Wiley & Sons, 1985)

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Nigel Nicholson is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. This report was part of Business Strategy Review, Volume 22 Issue 4 - 2011 Visit the website www.london.edu/bsr

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