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If there’s an introductory book on complexity theory, Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else by Albert-László Barabási would be it. Its layman approach to unlocking the complexity behind the theory is illustrated with familiar examples like

the topology of web pages (where the nodes are individual web pages and the links are hyper-links), the collaborative network of Hollywood actors (where the nodes actors and the links are co-stars in the same movie), the power grid of the western United States (where the nodes are generators, transformers, and substations and the links are power transmission lines), and the peer-reviewed scientific literature (where the nodes are publications and the links are citations).(Source: Wolfram MathWorld)

The book revolves around the idea of scale-free network. Social networks, the Internet, even the economy may be seen from a different perspective using this concept. The author argued that if you strip complexity to its parts, you would come up with its skeleton which is networks. The nodes and links that make up the network comprise the structure of complexity.

The author adds:

The goal before us is to understand complexity. To achieve that, we must move beyond structure and topology and start focusing on the dynamics that take place along the links. Networks are only the skeleton of complexity, the highways for the various processes that make our world hum.

Btw, this is not to say that this is THE only way to understand complexity. It’s only a part in our toolset. Now, we have the topology map at our disposal. The tricky part is mapping the interaction of its parts.

In this new era of the Information Age, book author Daniel Pink rightly pointed out the three challenges each of us are facing right now:

1. For individuals at risk of losing their jobs due to outsourcing, you better ask yourself:  "Can someone overseas do it cheaper?"
2. Same as above, "Can a computer do it faster?". That is, can a computer automate your job?
3. For businesses, "Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance?"

Think of programmers, doctors and lawyers whose astronomical incomes used to dominate the job landscape but whose jobs are currently being offshored or outsourced to Asia (the author lumped Asia as the metaphor for outsourcing).

On the other hand, companies are forced to rethink their offerings because it’s not enough that their product or service is working. It must appeal to aesthetics, user experience, a higher calling or simply that which appeals to something that is bigger than life.

The book is somewhat a rehash of what proponents of emotional intelligence and right-brained thinking already know, that in the 21st century, we better attuned to our "six senses". Case in point: Apple with its emphasis on design (iPods, iPhones), nursing jobs (wow, the author notably mentioned the Philippines) and the like.

Lastly, the author added one idiom to our modern vocabulary: Abundance, Asia and Automation. These 3 forces are bound to shape our lives but then, to those who transcend these challenges, they are sure to excel head and shoulders above their peers. Or so the author thought…

Steve Jobs. Silicon Valley. Innovation pipeline and how it all works is chronicled within a book by Leander Kahney ("Inside Steve’s Brain") and by Sarah Lacy of Business Week ("Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0"). Can’t wait to have those books on my doorstep.

"The Welch Way: 24 Lessons from the World’s Greatest CEO" is a book by Jeffrey Krames written specifically to help employees apply to their careers the actions and success strategies of business icon Jack Welch. Jack Welch transformed GE into the world’s most valuable corporation - and became one of history’s most admired and successful CEOs - by cutting through bureaucratic noise and letting hands-on, frontline employees tell him what needed to be done.

• Lead - Articulate a vision and spark others to execute it. Don’t manage every excruciating detail. Involve everyone and welcome great ideas from everywhere.
• Get less formal - Brainstorm with colleagues and bosses. Hold more informal meetings. Consider a once-in-a-while informal get together.
• Blow up bureaucracy - Drop unnecessary work. Work with colleagues to streamline decision making. Make your workplace more informal.
• Face reality - Don’t assume everything is fine. Look at things with a fresh eye. Don’t fall into the "false scenarios" trap. Leave yourself with several options. (more…)

Silicon Valley is an ecosystem of engineers, programmers, venture capitalists, academe, and entrepreneurs whose passion for hi-tech, innovation and big bucks spur the creation of the internet  and in the process, spark the phenomenon called "globalization". One key hallmark of the Valley is the role of failure in innovation, according to Dennis Posadas, author of "Rice & Chips: Technopreneurship and Innovation in Asia". The concept of "creative destruction" coined by Joseph Schumpeter is the process by which successful new technology companies come from the lessons of other failed companies. Thus, Silicon Valley drives the creation of laws that allow rapid formation and dissolution of venture companies such that bankruptcies will not be seen as stigma for failed companies but as a necessary and inevitable cost of innovation. As the renowned VC John Doerr says, "it is OK to fail and in fact it may even be important that you failed on someone else’s money".

Mr. Posadas adds:

For creative destruction to work, however, the parties whose companies have failed should be willing to have their stories shared. This can be in the form of case studies for business schools, or advice for young entrepreneurs. If the lessons from past failures are not shared, then there is little to gain from those failures.

Of course, VCs thrive because they are taking calculated risks and diversifying their portfolio. When the companies’ executives rear their ugly head, the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act is there to protect the interests of the general public.

So what does it take to be a Silicon Valley? Here are the ingredients:

• Human resources (engineers, scientists, labor force)
• Venture capital (angel investors, VC firms, government capital)
• Academe and research centers (universities, IT parks)
• Legal framework (to accommodate "creative destruction" and IP protection)
• Financial framework (investors’ exit strategy through the stock market)
• Risk-tolerance (contrary to what the chief says, failure is an option)
• Geographic proximity (key players in the ecosystem should be close to each other)
• Ideas, ideas, ideas (it’s survival of the fittest ideas)

Like in the ecosystem of nature, companies play it out under the forces of globalization, economy and strength of vision. The Silicon Valley is a habitat for innovation and entrepreneurship. For innovation to thrive, R&D must first be taken care of.