Outlandish Reading
This is a list of things we recommend reading if you want to work with us or work like us. It's required reading for all full members of Outlandish.
Power, politics and co-operation
Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work, Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams
An excellent manifesto for the creation of a positive leftist alternative to capitalism in which technology plays a key role in alleviating the drudgery of work. It's available from top lefty book seller Verso Books.
The Tyranny of Structurelessness, Jo Freeman
A critique and anarchist organisations from a structuralist/feminist perspective. It highlights that without some rules and structure the loudest voices get heard (often middle class white men). It's available on Jo's website.
The Creative Forces of Self-Organisation, John A Buck & Gerard Endenberg
A great pamphlet outlining the theory, practice and benefits of sociocracy - a non-hierachical consent-based democratic system used by Outlandish. It was adapted from the system used by the quakers by a dutch businessman for use in his electronics company. It's available free online.
The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx & Fredrich Engels
A great explanation of dialectical materialism and the capitalist mode of exploitation. Down with that sort of thing. It's available for free, of course.
Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential, Carol Dweck
A populist (almost self-help) style book by renowned educationalist, psychologist and academic Carol Dweck. It proposes the world is made of two sorts of people - those that thing they're good at certain things and those that think they have learnt certain things so far. The book advocates the learning mindset and points out that you can improve at anything if you want to - being a great lover, a great artist or a great developer.
First, break all the rules, Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
A fantastically well researched book about the need for good management. It defines management as 'getting the best from people' rather than 'telling people what to do' and outlines the key rules for good management. They argue that it is important to select for talent (as opposed to knowledge or skill) since the latter are easier to teach. They define a talent as "a recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behaviour that can be productively applied". There's a free executive summary available.
Technology and design
Don't Make Me Think, Steve Krug
Probably the best (and shortest) book ever written about user-experience. The key point he makes is that users don't analyse a webpage and then ponder which would be the best link to click - they just click on the first thing that see that might be what they want. It's also got all the basics such as page hierarchy, the need for clear labeling, etc.