Books by Thomas H. Davenport

Big Data at Work: Dispelling the Myths, Uncovering the Opportunities

by Thomas H. Davenport

Go ahead, be skeptical about big data. The author was—at first.

When the term “big data” first came on the scene, bestselling author Tom Davenport (Competing on Analytics, Analytics at Work) thought it was just another example of technology hype. But his research in the years that followed changed his mind.

Now, in clear, conversational language, Davenport explains what big data means—and why everyone in business needs to know about it. Big Data at Work covers all the bases: what big data means from a technical, consumer, and management perspective; what its opportunities and costs are; where it can have real business impact; and which aspects of this hot topic have been oversold.

This book will help you understand:
• Why big data is important to you and your organization
• What technology you need to manage it
• How big data could change your job, your company, and your industry
• How to hire, rent, or develop the kinds of people who make big data work
• The key success factors in implementing any big data project
• How big data is leading to a new approach to managing analytics

With dozens of company examples, including UPS, GE, Amazon, United Healthcare, Citigroup, and many others, this book will help you seize all opportunities—from improving decisions, products, and services to strengthening customer relationships. It will show you how to put big data to work in your own organization so that you too can harness the power of this ever-evolving new resource.

HBR's 10 Must Reads 2019: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review (with bonus article "Now What?" by Joan C. Williams and Suzanne Lebsock) (HBR's 10 Must Reads)

by Joan C. Williams, Harvard Business Review, Thomas H. Davenport, Michael E. Porter, Marco Iansiti

A year's worth of management wisdom, all in one place.
We've reviewed the ideas, insights, and best practices from the past year of Harvard Business Review to keep you up-to-date on the most cutting-edge, influential thinking driving business today. With authors from Thomas H. Davenport to Michael E. Porter and company examples from Facebook to DHL, this volume brings the most current and important management conversations right to your fingertips.
This book will inspire you to: Make stronger connections and build greater trust among people who work on multiple teams Engage customers and employees alike with the help of artificial intelligence Channel your outrage about sexual harassment in the workplace into effective action Consider how CEO activism can generate goodwill for your company--and weigh its risks Pair data with qualitative research to increase diversity in your organization Remain competitive in a hub economy by using your company's assets and capabilities differently
This collection of articles includes: "The Overcommitted Organization," by Mark Mortensen and Heidi K. Gardner; "Why Do We Undervalue Competent Management?" by Raffaella Sadun, Nicholas Bloom, and John Van Reenen; "'Numbers Take Us Only So Far,'" by Maxine Williams; "The New CEO Activists," by Aaron K. Chatterji and Michael W. Toffel; "Artificial Intelligence for the Real World," by Thomas H. Davenport and Rajeev Ronanki; "Why Every Organization Needs an Augmented Reality Strategy," by Michael E. Porter and James E. Heppelmann; "Thriving in the Gig Economy," by Gianpiero Petriglieri, Susan Ashford, and Amy Wrzesniewski; "Managing Our Hub Economy," by Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani; "The Leader's Guide to Corporate Culture," by Boris Groysberg, Jeremiah Lee, Jesse Price, and J. Yo-Jud Cheng; "The Error at the Heart of Corporate Leadership," by Joseph L. Bower and Lynn S. Paine; and "Now What?" by Joan C. Williams and Suzanne Lebsock.

Only Humans Need Apply: Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines

by Thomas H. Davenport, Julia Kirby

An invigorating, thought-provoking, and positive look at the rise of automation that explores how professionals across industries can find sustainable careers in the near future.
Nearly half of all working Americans could risk losing their jobs because of technology. It’s not only blue-collar jobs at stake. Millions of educated knowledge workers—writers, paralegals, assistants, medical technicians—are threatened by accelerating advances in artificial intelligence.
The industrial revolution shifted workers from farms to factories. In the first era of automation, machines relieved humans of manually exhausting work. Today, Era Two of automation continues to wash across the entire services-based economy that has replaced jobs in agriculture and manufacturing. Era Three, and the rise of AI, is dawning. Smart computers are demonstrating they are capable of making better decisions than humans. Brilliant technologies can now decide, learn, predict, and even comprehend much faster and more accurately than the human brain, and their progress is accelerating. Where will this leave lawyers, nurses, teachers, and editors?
In Only Humans Need Apply, Thomas Hayes Davenport and Julia Kirby reframe the conversation about automation, arguing that the future of increased productivity and business success isn’t either human or machine. It’s both. The key is augmentation, utilizing technology to help humans work better, smarter, and faster. Instead of viewing these machines as competitive interlopers, we can see them as partners and collaborators in creative problem solving as we move into the next era. The choice is ours.

HBR's 10 Must Reads on AI (with Bonus Article How to Win with Machine Learning by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb)

by Harvard Business Review, Thomas H. Davenport, Ajay Agrawal, Marco Iansiti, Tsedal Neeley

The next generation of AI is here--use it to lead your business forward.

If you read nothing else on artificial intelligence and machine learning, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you understand the future direction of AI, bring your AI initiatives to scale, and use AI to transform your organization.

This book will inspire you to:

• Create a new AI strategy
• Learn to work with intelligent robots
• Get more from your marketing AI
• Be ready for ethical and regulatory challenges
• Understand how generative AI is game changing
• Stop tinkering with AI and go all in

This collection of articles includes "Competing in the Age of AI," by Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani; "How to Win with Machine Learning," by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb; "Developing a Digital Mindset," by Tsedal Neeley and Paul Leonardi; "Learning to Work with Intelligent Machines," by Matt Beane; "Getting AI to Scale," by Tim Fountaine, Brian McCarthy, and Tamim Saleh; "Why You Aren't Getting More from Your Marketing AI," by Eva Ascarza, Michael Ross, and Bruce G. S. Hardie; "The Pitfalls of Pricing Algorithms," by Marco Bertini and Oded Koenigsberg; "A Smarter Strategy for Using Robots," by Ben Armstrong and Julie Shah; "Why You Need an AI Ethics Committee," by Reid Blackman; "Robots Need Us More Than We Need Them," by H. James Wilson and Paul R. Daugherty; "Stop Tinkering with AI," by Thomas H. Davenport and Nitin Mittal; and "ChatGPT Is a Tipping Point for AI," by Ethan Mollick.

HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.