How to Survive a Crisis: 7 Books for Entrepreneurs

Any business problem can be turned into an opportunity with the right tools. Trends have chosen Alpina Publisher books to help keep your business going through times of change

«Management in a Crisis. How to survive and become stronger, Yitzhak Adizes

According to the famous writer and business consultant Yitzhak Adizes, any crisis is an opportunity for the strong and a disaster for the weak. In times of change, prepared organizations are able to withstand the pressure and even grow stronger. One of the books of the recognized management guru is devoted to the method of overcoming the crisis with the help of integration – established relationships within the company and automated business processes. Adizes tells you how to anticipate problems and take preventive action before they escalate into a crisis; describes in detail the steps to be taken during a crisis that has already occurred and suggests how to handle cash flows and human resources at such a time. Crisis Management has become a classic in business literature and will be useful to any entrepreneur who wants to protect a company from possible risks.

“Under stress. Leadership Lessons from a General Electric Executive, Jeff Immelt, Amy Wallace

Jeff Immelt became CEO of General Electric in 2001. Under his leadership, the company survived the events of 11/2008, the financial crisis of 2009-XNUMX, and the accident of GE-designed nuclear reactors at Fukushima. In Under Voltage, Immelt recreates the most difficult moments of his career, showing what decisions he had to make in crisis situations and how they influenced the future fate of the company. He talks not only about his successes, but also about the mistakes, miscalculations and his own weaknesses that prevented him from leading GE during a period of economic instability. This honest story is a great example for today’s leaders and an opportunity to use GE’s rich experience for the benefit of their own business.

“Out of the crisis. A New Paradigm for Managing People, Systems and Processes, Edwards Deming

The revolutionary theory of Edwards Deming became one of the reasons for the emergence of the Japanese “miracle” – the revival and phenomenal growth of the Japanese economy after World War II. Deming believed that in order to improve production results, one must apply statistical quality control and consider the business as a whole system. He deduced 14 principles that allow you to build a competitive business based on trust and commitment to quality. The book “Out of the Crisis” will help you understand how to implement a new management philosophy, use scientific knowledge for quality management and unite all employees of the company around one goal, cultivating team spirit and “collective wisdom”.

“Organizational Resilience”, HBR team of authors

The Harvard Business Review contains ten articles on how to strengthen your business in the face of constant technological breakthroughs, geopolitical instability and changes in legislation. The ideas proposed by professors of the most famous business schools, best-selling authors and top managers of American companies will make the organization strategically stable – flexible and ready for any transformation. The authors talk about how to take into account climate change when defining a strategy, manage a company during tragic events, accelerate business growth and build logistics in a post-pandemic environment.

“Only the paranoid survive. How to use the crisis periods that any company faces, Andrew Grove

In Only the Paranoid Survive, Andrew Grove explains what to do at strategic inflection points when changes occur in the market or within a company that undermine the very foundation of the business. The author’s reasoning is based on personal experience – Grove led Intel during a deep crisis, when the emergence of a strong competitor in the technology market almost led to the company’s death. The story in this book is often cited in business schools as an example of good crisis management. Grove outlines a blueprint for how to navigate the transition, shows what helped the company he manages win the market back, and suggests how to recognize a coming crisis at an early stage.

“Never give up. Anti-crisis strategies of Russian entrepreneurs”, Daria Suntsova

Daria Suntsova collected 12 stories of Russian entrepreneurs about how they coped with crises of different years and rebuilt their business during the pandemic. Among the respondents are the founder of the Teremok chain Mikhail Goncharov, the president of the Synergy corporation Vadim Lobov, the founder and CEO of the HENDERSON fashion house Ruben Arutyunyan, the CEO of the Motorika company Ilya Chekh and other significant figures in the Russian business environment. Each story is an example and inspiration for the next generation of entrepreneurs, as well as a set of useful recommendations from business owners who have survived more than one major crisis.

“The world is after us. How to prevent the planet from dying, Maya Gepel

German economist and sustainability researcher Maya Gepel examines the most significant environmental, economic and social policy challenges that humanity has to deal with today. In The World After Us, she talks about what social, cultural, political and economic transformations would allow us to get rid of global threats and save the planet for future generations. This work will help to understand the negative consequences of modern technological progress, excessive consumption, global resource scarcity, climate change and social imbalance, and will also inspire to take all feasible measures to prevent upcoming crises.