Back in June, Andrew Balthrop, a research associate within the Supply Chain Management Research Center at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, and his colleague from the Walton College of Business Stephanie P. Thomas put together a list of the “best books on supply chains” that aren’t actually books about supply chains.
The list included: “How the War Was Won” by Phillips Payson O’Brien, “The Goal” by Eliyahu Goldratt, “The Box” by Marc Levinson, “Supply Chain Jane Clears the Way” by Megan Meyer, “The Last Place on Earth” by Roland Huntford, and “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Richardson.
Of course, there are many more books available. Balthrop and Thomas noted a “quick search” found more than 3,000 titles for books on supply chain management. That doesn’t even touch other topics that impact supply chain. Who can read them all?
To help narrow down the list, we asked LinkedIn followers to offer some suggestions on books they recommend people in supply chain read.
What follows are the suggestions we received (in no particular order). We have not dived into descriptions of the books, but have provided links so you can do your own research.
This is not to be considered the definitive list of supply chain books; rather it is simply a list of what others have read and recommend. You may have other ideas as well. If you want to add your own suggestions, you can see that original LinkedIn post here and add your thoughts.
Enjoy.
- “Infectious Generosity” by Chris Anderson. Link: https://www.infectiousgenerosity.org/book
- “Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch the Self-Doubt Tax, Unlock Humble Confidence” by Julie Smith. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Coach-Yourself-Confident-self-doubt-confidence/dp/1788605179
- “Shoemaker: The Untold Story of the British Family Firm That Became a Global Brand” by Joe Foster. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shoemaker-Reebok-Untold-Lancashire-Changed/dp/1471194019
- “Think Remarkable: 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference” by Guy Kawasaki and Madisun Nuismer. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Remarkable-Paths-Transform-Difference/dp/139424522X
- “From Source to Sold: Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain” by Radu Palamariu and Knut Alicke. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Source-Sold-Stories-Leadership-Supply-ebook/dp/B0BC2L6P5Y
- “The Monkey and the Money: A History of Capitalism” by Dr. Kjell A. Nordström. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Money-History-Capitalism/dp/9189425715
- “Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life)” by Thomas Erikson. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Idiots-Behavior-Effectively-Communicate/dp/1250179947
- “The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business” by Erin Meyer. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Map-Breaking-Invisible-Boundaries/dp/1610392507
- “Supply Chain: HRB Insights” by Harvard Business Review. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Supply-Chain-Harvard-Business-Review/dp/B0CW55GZNP
- “Radical Simplicity: How Simplicity Transformed a Loss-making Mega Brand into a World-class Performer” by Ken Allen. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Simplicity-failing-company-success/dp/1529104726
- “The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, AI and the Future of Work” by Yossi Sheffi. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Conveyor-Belt-Supply-I-ebook/dp/B0BZKD8C86
- “The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America’s Finest Hour” by Andrei Cherny. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Candy-Bombers-Untold-Airlift-Americas/dp/0425227715
- “Mine the Gaps: A Powerful Framework to Achieve Excellence Within Your Life Science Supply Chain” by Steve Clarke. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mine-Gaps-powerful-framework-excellence/dp/B0CHQZ88SY
- “Practical Guide to Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP/IBP)” by J. Eric Wilson and Imane “Amy” Sabeh. Link: https://ibf.org/books/practical-guide-to-sales-and-operations-planning-sop-ibp-112
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