Three key books for anyone looking at IT

In some ways the best source of information about the current status of almost any aspect of IT is the daily press - trade pubs, news wires, specialty and community Web sites.  But every now and then you have to stop - take a look at the big picture - and look for what has changed since the last time, and where are you now.  This kind of overview most often happens in books - and there are three relatively new books out now that - together - serve to give a very interesting perspective on the IT profession and the related industries. 

First, is Tom Friedman's The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, which attempts to scope out the shifts that have occurred in the economic world, and points out where the American economies strengths and problems lay.  Imperfect as it may be - it's the most cohesive look at the real impact of the global market in print.

Second is The New Division of Labor : How Computers Are Creating the Next Job Market, Frank Levy and Richard J. Murnane.  This book discusses the way IT has changed business, and - in turn - how new business models are changing the conduct of IT.  These two authors are perhaps the most experienced researchers in this narrow field, and conclusions and recommendations are clear and to the point.

Finally, your exploration cannot miss The Only Sustainable Edge: Why Business Strategy Depends on Productive Friction and Dynamic Specialization, by John Hagel III and John Seeley Brown.  While not as hard hitting as some of their past titles, this discussion addresses the ways that IT can become a conscious and purposeful catalyst for even newer generations of enterprise - by becoming proactive - instead of simply reactive (to new technology, to business trends, etc.).

We're not talking Elmore Leonard-style reading here - it's heady and serious stuff.  But you will come away with a much better understanding of where your current path might be leading you, and ideas about how to change direction to get ahead of the curve.

(-- originally posted by Rich Bowers, Coordinator, Ohio IT Clearinghouse)