More business books: Board Talk and Techlash

BOARD TALK is written by Kathryn Bishop and Gillian Camm who believe that “conversation is at the heart of board governance across the world.” They first offer six conversational techniques (like observing, listening, and questioning) with a reflection on each.  The heart of the book is the eighteen crucial conversations centered around topics like joining a board, talking about vision/values, and turning central ideas into action. They use models, checklists, and case studies to help readers tap into ideas about how boards operate. According to Bishop (a teacher at Oxford’s Saïd Business School) and Camm (an executive coach) they have an overall goal to “help you reflect on the nature of your board and your role in it, and to develop better conversations which will help you to perform your role well.” Obviously, the authors speak directly to the readers whom they assume are members of public, private, or voluntary boards around the world. Their expertise in education and training is reflected in the text’s use of bold font and bullet points, making it relatively easy for readers to extract and reflect on key points. Published by Alison Jones’ Practical Inspiration Publishing, below is an interview she conducted with the two authors of BOARD TALK where they explore concepts of psychology, mindset, and group governance:

BOARD TALK contains a list of useful information sources, notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index, including a reference to Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle.

TECHLASH by Tom Wheeler poses the question: “Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age?” Wheeler, a businessman and former (2013-2017) Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), highlights parallels between the late 19th century’s industrial Gilded Age the digital Gilded Age of the 21st century: increasing disparities in wealth and innovators making their own (self-interested) rules. Saying “a shiny patina hides the darker realities,” Wheeler offers a call to action. Consumer privacy certainly merits greater protection and a major proposed task is rewriting rules and regulations although it is admittedly difficult to picture current politicians having the will or means to do so. Wheeler observes that “solutions that were developed in the past – antitrust law and regulatory oversight– were unprecedented” at that time. He is extremely knowledgeable and devotes an entire section of his new text to “Reasserting the Public Interest” where he outlines proposals for establishing behavioral expectations for digital platform companies with separate chapters dealing with privacy, competition and “truth and trust.”  Although the average reader may find TECHLASH a bit too complex, roughly fifteen percent of the text is devoted to notes and an index which increases its usefulness for researchers and policymakers. They may also be interested in this recent McKinsey think piece on generative AI and government.