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Non-fiction

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This page collects the professional literature that forms the basis of my work with digitalization, innovation and value creation. Here you will find books on innovation, service design, UX, design, eMarketing, digital development, customer behavior and customer journeys - from classic theories to modern, practical approaches.

The library serves as both a scholarly overview and an introduction to further reading. All books have been selected because they provide insight into how technology, people and organizations interact in the development of good services and sustainable solutions. You can go directly from each book to relevant sales channels for further in-depth study.

From AC - This is where it all starts. From the big ideas about technology and the future, to how people actually make choices. These are books that explain why innovation happens – and why customers don't always do what we think they should. A good start… and maybe a few little aha moments along the way.

This library is under continuous development. Over time, selected titles will be expanded with academic summaries, reflections, and links to practice.

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Non-fiction – A–C

This book explores how exponential technologies, innovation, and entrepreneurship can help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges. The authors argue that technological advances in areas such as artificial intelligence, energy, medicine, and communication can create a future characterized by greater access, improved quality of life, and new opportunities for value creation. The book combines technological optimism with real-world examples from business and research, offering an inspiring perspective on how innovation can be scaled when people, capital, and technology come together.

 

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In this book, Rory Sutherland shows how people often make decisions based on emotions, psychology, and experiences rather than pure logic. Through humorous and insightful examples from marketing, economics, and society, he argues that creative and “irrational” thinking often produces better solutions than traditional analysis alone. Alchemy is particularly relevant for anyone working with customer experience, communication, innovation, and value creation at the intersection of people and technology.

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This book explores how artificial intelligence is affecting society, politics, the economy, and human thought. The authors analyze how AI is changing decision-making, power structures, the workplace, and international relations, while also discussing the ethical and philosophical implications of the technology. The book provides a broad and thoughtful framework for understanding how AI will shape the societies and organizations of the future.

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This book shows how marketing and sales must work closely together to drive growth, improve customer experiences, and achieve stronger results. Tracy Eiler combines practical experience with modern data-driven marketing and demonstrates how organizations can establish shared goals, create clear organizational structures, and improve collaboration across departments. The book is particularly relevant at a time when digital customer journeys span channels, technologies, and organizational boundaries.

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This classic strategy book shows how organizations can create new markets and avoid direct price competition by thinking differently about value, innovation, and customer needs. The authors introduce the concept of the “Blue Ocean” as a strategy for developing new opportunities rather than competing in established markets where competition is becoming increasingly intense. The book has become a key framework for innovation, business development, and strategic differentiation.

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In this book, Donald Miller shows how clear storytelling can make communication simpler, more human, and more effective. Through the StoryBrand framework, he explains how organizations can build stronger customer journeys by placing customers’ needs and challenges at the center. The book combines marketing, psychology, and practical communication principles and has become highly popular in branding, digital communication, and customer experience.

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This book introduces the Business Model Canvas—a visual and practical framework for developing, analyzing, and improving business models. Through examples, illustrations, and practical methods, the authors show how organizations can create value, understand customer needs, and adapt to rapid changes in the market. Today, the book is widely used in innovation, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and service development across both the private and public sectors.

Business Model Innovation: It’s Not Just About Technology Anymore

Henry Chesbrough is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the field of open innovation. In this work, he argues that innovation is not primarily about technology alone, but about how organizations structure, deliver, and commercialize value creation. Chesbrough shows how strong business models are often essential for turning innovation into real-world success, and how collaboration, partnerships, and open ecosystems are becoming increasingly important in modern business.

Here, Chesbrough further develops the idea that strong business models are often more important than the technology itself. Many organizations fail not because their ideas are poor, but because they are unable to turn innovation into a sustainable business model.

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This classic leadership book analyzes what distinguishes companies that succeed over the long term. Through extensive research, the authors show how strong values, a clear culture, long-term thinking, and the ability to continuously renew and adapt are often more important than short-term financial goals. The book has had a major influence on strategy, organizational development, and innovation management and is particularly relevant for organizations seeking to build lasting institutions with a clear identity and role in society.

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Building Theories from Case Study Research

A classic methodological article on how theory can be developed through case study research. This type of research is important in innovation studies because innovation often needs to be understood through complex real-world situations.

Based on research in neuromarketing, Martin Lindstrom explores how the brain responds to brands, advertising, and purchasing situations. Through studies of emotions, the senses, and subconscious decision-making processes, the book shows how people often make choices on a far more emotional basis than they realize. Buyology has become an important book in marketing, branding, and customer experience, providing insight into how psychology influences modern consumer behavior.

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This classic strategy book shows how speed and responsiveness can be decisive competitive advantages in modern organizations. The authors argue that companies that reduce time in development, production, delivery, and decision-making often achieve higher quality, lower costs, and stronger customer experiences. The book has had a major influence on product development, service design, logistics, and digitalization and is particularly relevant in a world where rapid change and high expectations shape both customers and markets.

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In this book, Christensen develops the “Jobs to Be Done” theory, arguing that people do not simply buy products or services—they “hire” them to address specific needs in their everyday lives. This perspective has had a major influence on customer experience, service design, and innovation.

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A key book on how organizations use data, analytics, and insights as strategic competitive advantages. Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris show how analytics can transform large amounts of data into better decisions, greater precision, and more targeted business management.

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In this book, Jonah Berger explains why some ideas, products, and messages spread rapidly while others disappear. Drawing on research in psychology, marketing, and social influence, he presents practical principles for how content can generate engagement, sharing, and attention. Contagious has become a key book in digital marketing, communication, and branding, particularly in an era shaped by social media and rapidly moving information.

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This classic textbook on consumer behavior explains how people make decisions as customers and consumers. The authors combine psychology, marketing, and social science to explore how motivation, perception, attitudes, culture, and influence shape purchasing decisions. For many years, the book has been a key resource in marketing education and provides a solid foundation for understanding customer experience, segmentation, and modern consumer behavior.

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Joseph Schumpeter introduced the concept of “creative destruction” to describe how innovation drives economic development by continuously replacing old products, services, and business models with new ones. This perspective has had an enormous influence on innovation theory, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation and is still widely used to understand how technology and new market players reshape business and society over time.

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Tom Kelley and David Kelley of IDEO show how creativity, design thinking, and experimentation can be used to foster innovation in both individuals and organizations. Through practical examples, the authors explain how collaboration, curiosity, and the courage to test new ideas create the foundation for the services, products, and organizations of the future. The book has had a major influence on innovation, service design, and organizational development and emphasizes that creativity is not reserved for a select few—it can be developed by anyone.

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This classic book on innovation explains how technology products and digital services move from early adopters to widespread commercial success in the mass market. Geoffrey A. Moore describes the challenge of “crossing the chasm” between innovators and the mainstream market, and why many promising technologies fail during this transition. The book has become a key framework in technology, entrepreneurship, and the commercialization of innovation.

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