Books That Broaden Business Students’ Perspective

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Business school teaches you the theory of business — the frameworks, the financial models, the case studies. But real understanding comes from seeing how ideas collide with the messy, unpredictable world of people, markets, and technology.

Over the years, I’ve found a handful of books that open your mind beyond the classroom. They explore the mental models, systems thinking, and creative problem-solving that shape great companies and great decision-makers.

Here are eleven that I think business students will find useful: 

Charlie Munger



1. Poor Charlie's Almanac  - Timeless lessons on decision-making and mental models from Charlie Munger.

2. Making things work  - Insight into the systems-thinking approach that underlies modern technology and organizations.

3. The Snowball - A deep dive into Warren Buffett’s philosophy and long-term business perspective.

4. Fooled by randomness - A brilliant exploration of luck, probability, and human bias in business.

5. Art of problem solving - Frameworks for structured thinking and creative problem-solving.

6. Apple in China - A look at global supply chains, strategy, and cultural nuance in business execution.

7. No logo - A critical examination of branding, consumerism, and corporate identity.

8. One from many - The story of Visa’s distributed structure and how collaboration can drive innovation.

9. Only the paranoid survive  - Andy Grove’s lessons on strategic inflection points and adaptive leadership.

10. The mythical man month  - A classic on software project management and why scaling teams is hard.

11. Diffusion of innovations - The definitive study of how new ideas spread through markets and societies.


I originally prepared this list for Mike Polacek's students at Santa Clara University but it’s one I’d recommend to anyone who wants to understand how technology, systems, and human behavior intersect in the business world.

“The best thing a human being can do is to help another human being know more.”
— Charlie Munger

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