Culture

100 must-read books for HR and talent leaders

Leadership? Recruitment? Skilling? The future of work? We’ve got every kind of title to satiate your curious mind.

Today, 9 August, marks Book Lovers Day. It’s dedicated to those who find solace, adventure, and knowledge within the pages of a good book.

Whether you’re a seasoned reader or just rediscovering the joy of reading, today is the perfect excuse to dive into a new story or revisit a cherished classic. Books have the unique power to transport us to different worlds, offer fresh perspectives, and even inspire us to see our own lives in a new light.

If you’re on the hunt for your next great read, look no further. We’ve curated a comprehensive list of the top 100 books on HR and talent, perfect for those eager to expand their knowledge in these vital fields.

We’ve got you covered whether you’re interested in leadership, employee engagement, or the future of work. This list has something for every curious mind.

Get ready to be inspired and informed by the best in the business:

Foundational HR & talent management

1. The HR Scorecard by Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, and Dave Ulrich
2. Human Resource Champions by Dave Ulrich
3. Work Rules! by Laszlo Bock
4. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
5. Good to Great by Jim Collins
6. The War for Talent by Ed Michaels, Helen Handfield-Jones, and Beth Axelrod
7. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
8. Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
9. First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
10. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Leadership & Culture

11. Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
12. The Leadership Pipeline by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel
13. Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
14. Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
15. Start with Why by Simon Sinek
16. Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute
17. Radical Candor by Kim Scott
18. Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
19. The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
20. The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

Talent Development & Learning

21. Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
22. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
23. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
24. The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
25. The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling
26. Atomic Habits by James Clear
27. The Learning Organization by Peter Senge
28. The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
29. The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
30. Mindful Leadership by Maria Gonzalez

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

31. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
32. The Inclusion Dividend by Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan
33. How to Be an Inclusive Leader by Jennifer Brown
34. The Diversity Bonus by Scott E. Page
35. Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
36. What Works: Gender Equality by Design by Iris Bohnet
37. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
38. The Loudest Duck by Laura Liswood
39. Unleashed by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss
40. The Person You Mean to Be by Dolly Chugh

Strategic HR & Analytics

41. HR from the Outside In by Dave Ulrich, Jon Younger, Wayne Brockbank, and Mike Ulrich
42. Predictive HR Analytics by Martin Edwards and Kirsten Edwards
43. The New HR Leader’s First 100 Days by Alan Collins
44. The Agile HR Business Partner by Justine Lambotte and Natasha Wallace
45. The Essential HR Handbook by Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell
46. The Workforce Scorecard by Mark Huselid, Brian Becker, and Richard Beatty
47. Reinventing Talent Management by Edward E. Lawler III
48. The HR Answer Book by Shawn Smith and Rebecca Mazin
49. Strategic Human Resource Management by Jeffrey A. Mello
50. The Future of Work by Jacob Morgan

Recruitment & Employee Engagement

51. Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street
52. The Talent Delusion by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
53. The Best Team Wins by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
54. The Employee Experience Advantage by Jacob Morgan
55. The New Rules of Work by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew
56. Engage! by Brian Solis
57. Employer Branding for Dummies by Richard Mosley and Lars Schmidt
58. Recruiting in the Age of Googlization by Ira S. Wolfe
59. The Truth About Employee Engagement by Patrick Lencioni
60. The Joy of Work by Bruce Daisley

Organisational Development & Change Management

61. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
62. Leading Change by John P. Kotter
63. Our Iceberg is Melting by John P. Kotter
64. Change the Culture, Change the Game by Roger Connors and Tom Smith
65. The Fearless Organization by Amy C. Edmondson
66. Change Management: The People Side of Change by Jeffrey M. Hiatt and Timothy J. Creasey
67. The Change Monster by Jeanie Daniel Duck
68. Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar H. Schein
69. Managing Transitions by William Bridges and Susan Bridges
70. The Heart of Change by John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen

Compensation & Benefits

71. Compensation by George Milkovich, Jerry Newman, and Barry Gerhart
72. Paying for Performance by Michael Beer and Nancy Katz
73. Strategic Compensation: A Human Resource Management Approach by Joseph J. Martocchio
74. The Compensation Handbook by Lance A. Berger and Dorothy R. Berger
75. The Compensation Toolkit by Denise Perkins
76. Equity: Why Employee Ownership is Good for Business by Corey Rosen and John Case
77. Strategic Reward by Michael Armstrong
78. Workplace Wellness that Works by Laura Putnam
79. The End of Work as We Know It by Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell
80. Pay Matters by Paula M. Singer and Laura L. Francisco

Future of Work & Tech in HR

81. Artificial Intelligence for HR by Ben Eubanks
82. HR Disrupted by Lucy Adams
83. Work Disrupted by Jeff Schwartz
84. The Fourth Industrial Revolution by Klaus Schwab
85. The Digital HR Leader by David Green
86. The Human Cloud by Matthew Mottola and Matthew Douglas Coatney
87. The Exponential Organization by Salim Ismail
88. Humans Are Underrated by Geoff Colvin
89. The Future-Proof Workplace by Linda Sharkey and Morag Barrett
90. The Technology Fallacy by Gerald C. Kane, Anh Nguyen Phillips, Jonathan R. Copulsky, and Garth R. Andrus

Emerging Ideas and Everything in Between

91. The Employee Experience by Tracy Maylett and Matthew Wride
92. People Analytics in the Era of Big Data by Jean Paul Isson and Jesse S. Harriott
93. The Employee Engagement Mindset by Timothy R. Clark
94. Employee Engagement 2.0 by Kevin Kruse
95. Invisible Influence by Jonah Berger
96. The 9 Faces of HR by Kris Dunn
97. The Best Place to Work by Ron Friedman
98. HR on Purpose! by Steve Browne
99. The Culture Engine by S. Chris Edmonds
100. Drive by Daniel H. Pink