You found our list of the best office automation books.
Office automation books are resources that provide information on leveraging technology to automate and streamline various office tasks and processes. Examples include Effortless by Greg McKeown and Applied Artificial Intelligence by Mariya Yao, Adelyn Zhou, and Marlene Jia. The purpose of these books is to equip readers with the know-how to increase process visibility, speed up data retrieval, and simplify tasks.
The right office automation tools will boost employee productivity and improve company culture. These examples are similar to task management tools, project management software, HR software, and employee management software.
This list includes:
- books about office automation
- office automation system books
- office automation books for beginners
- how-to books about automating offices
- office automation guide
Here we go!
List of office automation books
Office automation tools ensure the reduction of manual effort, resulting in less processing time for the completion of tasks. From How to Speak Machine by John Maeda and SYSTEMology by David Jenyns and Michael E. Gerber, here is a list of resources individuals can use to improve workplace automation.
1. Automate This: How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World by Christopher Steiner
Automate This is a great choice of office automation guides. Christopher Steiner explains the role of algorithms in diverse economic sectors. For instance, readers will get insights into bots’ roles in finance, customer service, identity theft, psychological profiling, and intelligence gathering and interpretation. One of the main areas that Steiner discusses is automation in financial markets. The author uses the example of Thomas Peterffy in building a robot that buys and sells stock despite minimal know-how of the financial markets. Automate This also touches on the effects of computer automation on commerce, social behavior, employment, and advertising.
Notable quote: “Leibniz’s development of the symbols and theory behind calculus, which allows for the precise study and modeling of change, gave mathematicians a weapon with which to create algorithms powerful enough to build semiconductors, connect us through radio, and launch satellites into orbit with a laser’s precision.”
Read Automate This.
2. Applied Artificial Intelligence: A Handbook for Business Leaders by Mariya Yao, Adelyn Zhou, and Marlene Jia
Businesspeople who want to leverage machine intelligence will love Applied Artificial Intelligence. The authors demystify what artificial intelligence means for business leaders and how enterprises can leverage machine learning to enhance productivity. The book discusses ways businesses can drive innovation by combining technology, data, design, and staff. Applied Artificial Intelligence also teaches individuals how to lead prosperous AI initiatives by building a team of experts, prioritizing the right opportunities, and conducting strategic experiments. The resource is excellent for business professionals, marketers, consultants, entrepreneurs, and data scientists.
Notable quote: “In most cases, having and using a fantastic machine learning algorithm is less important than deploying a well-designed user experience (UX) for your products.”
Read Applied Artificial Intelligence.
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3. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners by Al Sweigart
If you are searching for office automation books for beginners, then Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is a good bet. Al Sweigart teaches readers how to write programs that will automate mundane tasks with Python. The author states that individuals do not need prior experience in programming to grasp the lessons. For instance, readers can create programs to update and format Excel spreadsheets and search for texts across multiple files. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python provides readers with step-by-step guides and practice projects.
Notable quote: “Your computer will do only what you tell it to do; it won’t read your mind and do what you intended it to do. Even professional programmers create bugs all the time, so don’t feel discouraged if your program has a problem.”
Read Automate the Boring Stuff with Python.
4. The Future Is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler
The Future Is Faster Than You Think provides exciting insights into automation and its effect on the future. Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler argue that as technology accelerates, businesses that leverage these innovations will create more wealth. The authors also detail the effect of the accelerating technologies on current legacy industries in retail, finance, advertising, education, and entertainment. Other notable lessons from the publication include automation’s next steps, ethics, struggles, and growth opportunities.
Notable quote: “Most organizations think the key to growth is developing new technologies and products. But often this is not so. To unlock the next wave of growth, companies must embed these innovations in a disruptive new business model.”
Read The Future Is Faster Than You Think.
5. Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most by Greg McKeown
If you are looking for how-to books about automating offices, then Effortless is a great pick. In the guide, Greg McKeown urges individuals to eliminate nonessential tasks and focus on activities that matter. Readers will get insights into ways that the complexity of modern life creates a fallacy between “essential and difficulty” and “easy and trivial” activities. McKeown explains the strategies businesses can use to make the most important actions the easiest. For instance, readers will learn the importance of streamlining processes with the least number of steps. Other notable lessons include forecasting, solving problems before they occur, and accelerating team learning. The author uses his personal experience and interesting case studies to guide readers on office automation.
Notable quote: “Past a certain point, more effort doesn’t produce better performance. It sabotages our performance. Economists call this the law of diminishing returns.”
Read Effortless.
6. The Business Case for AI: A Leader’s Guide to AI Strategies, Best Practices & Real-World Applications by Kavita Ganesan
One of the most efficient ways that businesses can automate processes is through the use of artificial intelligence. However, most companies are unaware of where to start in their drive to increase work efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction. The Business Case for AI is one of the best reads for individuals looking for office automation system books. The publication provides strategies that business leaders can use to choose areas to apply and implement AI. Kavita Ganesan uses real-world examples to outline strategies for launching AI initiatives. The author also details how businesses can prepare for AI transitions, identify high-impact opportunities, and measure the performance of systems. Readers will also learn the variance between AI, deep learning, machine learning, robotics, and computer vision.
Notable quote: “Successful AI initiatives start with the right problems, but the right problems don’t necessarily come from your data scientists. They can come from leaders, domain experts, and innovators who sit close to the daily business challenges in your organization. Still, it takes practice to develop the vision for spotting AI opportunities.”
Read The Business Case for AI.
7. Big Data, Analytics, and the Future of Marketing & Sales by McKinsey Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Forum
Big Data, Analytics, and the Future of Marketing & Sales is a clever choice of books about office automation. The authors argue that big data presents many opportunities for marketing and sales. For instance, the publication outlines the use of data automation to predict changes in consumer behavior and shifts in emerging markets. Thus, businesses must use analytics to identify valuable opportunities and drive decisions. Big Data, Analytics, and the Future of Marketing & Sales also shows how corporations can inject analytics into their operations to improve profitability and productivity.
Notable quote: “Finding growth with big data is more than an add-on; it affects every aspect of a business, requiring a change in mindset from leadership down to the front lines.”
Read Big Data, Analytics, and the Future of Marketing & Sales.
8. How to Speak Machine: Laws of Design for a Digital Age by John Maeda
How to Speak Machine tops the list of office automation guides for product teams, policymakers, and business leaders. As a renowned global preeminent thinker of design and technology, John Maeda guides readers on the incredible machines of the future. The author discusses machines’ powers and how businesses can leverage technological innovations for their own benefit. Maeda also argues that machines think in logical loops and process quantitative data instead of qualitative data. Through the publication, readers will learn how to identify opportunities technology provides to make inclusive and world-changing products. How to Speak Machine also provides tips for individuals and businesses to avoid common pitfalls.
Notable quote: “Computation is not something you can fully grasp after training in a ‘learn to code’ boot camp, where the mechanics of programming can be easily learned. It’s more like a foreign country with its own culture, its own set of problems, and its own language—but where knowing the language is not enough, let alone if you have only a minimal understanding of it.”
Read How to Speak Machine.
9. Leading the Workforce of the Future: Inspiring a Mindset of Passion, Innovation and Growth by Brigette Tasha Hyacinth
As technological innovations take over the world, businesses must factor in these advancements when managing their workforces. Even with the use of robots, AI hiring, and VR tools, organizational leaders must still manage processes, budgets, and schedules. The author argues that leaders must learn to engage and manage a multigenerational workforce even as the workplace evolves. Leading the Workforce of the Future provides tips for accelerating talent development and reshaping company culture. In addition, the publication offers strategies for creating a workforce with an innovative mindset and becoming a leader in the digital innovation age.
Notable quote: “Give employees a reason to care. They shouldn’t just think of innovation as something only senior management thinks about.”
Read Leading the Workforce of the Future.
10. SYSTEMology: Create time, reduce errors and scale your profits with proven business systems by David Jenyns
SYSTEMology tops the list of how-to books about automating offices. The authors debunk misconceptions about systemizing businesses. Readers will also get detailed guides to help entities struggling to hold processes together due to wrong or insufficient systems. The publication presents the stages of forming systems, including defining, assigning, and extracting. Additionally, the authors provide examples in actual business settings, step-by-step guides, worksheets, and action steps. The lessons in the publication draw on real-life case studies and over 20 years of experience.
Notable quote: “Step #1: Identify a problem and add it to the problems list. Step #2: Discuss, devise and deploy a solution. Step #3: Monitor and review the results. Step #4: If the solution doesn’t deliver the expected results, go back to step #1. If the solution does work, document it and make it part of your new process.”
Read SYSTEMology.
11. Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future by Martin Ford
While office automation is key to increasing efficiency, concerns about the threat of a jobless future are compelling. Martin Ford, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, argues that fewer individuals need to take on roles. Rise of the Robots discusses tasks that machine intelligence and robotics can accomplish. The author explains how brands like Apple and Google maintain multi-billion operations with few workforces. The publication is a great read for individuals who want to understand the effects of technological innovations on diverse economic sectors.
Notable quote: “Can accelerating technology disrupt our entire system to the point where a fundamental restructuring may be required if prosperity is to continue?”
Read Rise of the Robots.
12. The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World by Pedro Domingos
If you want to learn the power of machine learning, then The Master Algorithm is a top pick of office automation guides. Pedro Domingos gives readers a peek into the world of learning machines that successful companies capitalize on. The author also provides a guide that future universal learners can use to understand the meaning of master algorithms concerning businesses, society, and science. In addition, The Master Algorithm touches on statistical ideas such as over-fitting and variance. The book is an excellent pick for individuals who want to learn about the power of machine learning in office automation.
Notable quote: ”Your job in a world of intelligent machines is to keep making sure they do what you want, both at the input (setting the goals) and at the output (checking that you got what you asked for).”
Read The Master Algorithm.
13. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark
As businesses continue to automate mundane processes, Life 3.0 explains the effects of artificial intelligence on vital sectors. The authors touch on how artificial intelligence will affect jobs, crime, justice, and the sense of being human. The authors also address measures humans can take to scale their entities and maintain individual income and purpose. In addition, readers will get insights into how to make future AI systems robust without constant malfunctions.
Notable quote: ”If consciousness is the way that information feels when it’s processed in certain ways, then it must be substrate-independent; it’s only the structure of the information processing that matters, not the structure of the matter doing the information processing. In other words, consciousness is substrate-independent twice over!”
Read Life 3.0.
14. Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation by Kevin Roose
Futureproof is an excellent choice of office automation system books. Kevin Roose provides a compelling strategy for individuals to survive the next wave of technological innovations. The author argues that machines are here to stay, and algorithms will shape our entire world. The award-winning technology columnist then seeks to explain the meaning of being human as machines dominate the world. Futureproof shares secrets that individuals and organizations can take to survive technological changes. For instance, the author urges individuals to leverage machines while also focusing on how to create and inspire.
Notable quote: ”Instead of trying to hustle our way to safety, we should do what Mitsuru Kawai did—refusing to compete on the machines’ terms, and focusing instead on leaving our own, distinctively human mark on the things we’re creating.”
Read Futureproof.
Conclusion
With the rapid technological changes, businesses must adapt and shift to automated systems. The lessons from office automation publications can help organizations streamline their processes, reduce costs, and increase productivity. These books also provide insights into the best practices and strategies for implementing automation systems and optimizing workflows. Office automation books are an indispensable guide for individuals who want to modernize their workplace and stay competitive in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Next, check out our list of people analytics books, innovation books, and growth hacking books.
For more tips on office automation, check out these lists of business automation companies.
