While not for general readers, this handbook contains clear thinking about AI and large language models that will no doubt...
Leiva provides a framework to help large organizations integrate AI in this handbook.
Many organizations, says Leiva, a leading technology executive and information architect, fall into what he calls “the efficiency trap:” They optimize for speed and lowered costs while neglecting internal human judgment, thus eroding external customer trust. Leiva, who’s led teams at Apple, Intuit, and eBay (among others), understands that this situation can lead to “Zombie Organizations” that have begun to rely too heavily on automation. He provides many examples of such behavior, including a company where customers began to vent their frustrations via social media because they couldn’t reach a human agent to override system glitches. While Leiva wants to be sure executives and managers understand what they’re losing by focusing on metrics to the detriment of human interaction, his book is not a full-scale critique of the many areas that suffer from this “Velocity of Zero” (i.e., when a group has great output but little meaningful change). Rather, the negative examples exist to demonstrate the author’s “A.M.P.L.I.F.Y.” method, in which seven leadership disciplines, from Assess to Yield, can help keep organizations using AI processes hew to human principles. The first half of the book lays out the “Amplified” philosophy; the second half provides a toolkit along with design templates and implementation guides so that readers can start working toward real solutions. Although Leiva’s writing is meant for his peers, more casual readers might be heartened to see that among his recommendations for high-level companies are reliance on empathy, curiosity, and macro-management. As the author writes, “This book is not about using AI faster. It is about designing organizations that scale judgment, trust, and responsibility alongside technology.” Our world is an increasingly AI-driven place, but Leiva shows that, at least in the near future, leaders can build systems that adapt to the strengths of AI without losing the vital human accountability that should always be a marker of business success.
While not for general readers, this handbook contains clear thinking about AI and large language models that will no doubt benefit its niche target audience.Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9798903480036
Page Count: 338
Publisher: Beyond Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our...
A psychologist and Nobel Prize winner summarizes and synthesizes the recent decades of research on intuition and systematic thinking.
The author of several scholarly texts, Kahneman (Emeritus Psychology and Public Affairs/Princeton Univ.) now offers general readers not just the findings of psychological research but also a better understanding of how research questions arise and how scholars systematically frame and answer them. He begins with the distinction between System 1 and System 2 mental operations, the former referring to quick, automatic thought, the latter to more effortful, overt thinking. We rely heavily, writes, on System 1, resorting to the higher-energy System 2 only when we need or want to. Kahneman continually refers to System 2 as “lazy”: We don’t want to think rigorously about something. The author then explores the nuances of our two-system minds, showing how they perform in various situations. Psychological experiments have repeatedly revealed that our intuitions are generally wrong, that our assessments are based on biases and that our System 1 hates doubt and despises ambiguity. Kahneman largely avoids jargon; when he does use some (“heuristics,” for example), he argues that such terms really ought to join our everyday vocabulary. He reviews many fundamental concepts in psychology and statistics (regression to the mean, the narrative fallacy, the optimistic bias), showing how they relate to his overall concerns about how we think and why we make the decisions that we do. Some of the later chapters (dealing with risk-taking and statistics and probabilities) are denser than others (some readers may resent such demands on System 2!), but the passages that deal with the economic and political implications of the research are gripping.
Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our minds.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-374-27563-1
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
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These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.
A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.
“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
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