MBA Must-Read Books in 2025

Baylor MBA Faculty Recommends Top Titles for Inquiring Business Minds

Innovative business leaders never stop asking questions and pushing boundaries. The Full-Time, Online and Executive MBA programs at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business are built around this cornerstone of curiosity. Our students learn the craft of their disciplines so they can lead with an eye always focused on what’s next.  

If you’re interested in books that pave the way for this approach, our faculty have a wide range of recommendations to keep you sharp and at the front of the pack. Cue up your questions and get your reading light, here is the list that will get you in the MBA mindset.  

How do I shift the focus of my business to innovation?

“Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice” by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan 

“Competing Against Luck” is applicable for not only entrepreneurs but also for those interested in innovation in established businesses, education, non-profits or their personal lives. The book centers around Jobs Theory, which focuses innovators on the “Jobs to Be Done” rather than on the product or service that is being offered.  

The premise of the Jobs Theory is that a product or service must help customers fulfill a specific “Job to Be Done.” Often, this has less to do with the features and functions of the product than with other less obvious factors.  

In “Competing Against Luck”, the authors explore how companies can uncover these deeper reasons that customers “hire” (i.e., buy and use) certain products and choose not to “hire” (i.e., not buy, not use, or not repurchase) products. The book also offers insights on how organizations can create a focus on “Jobs to Be Done” and some of the pitfalls of relying on traditional metrics and structures. The book offers a compelling framework with which to think about innovation while clearly stating that there is no formula for success. The framework offered provides a focus for the deep thinking and hard work required for achieving breakthrough innovations. 

This recommendation is from Patsy Norman, PhD. Norman is the associate dean of Graduate Programs and an associate professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. 

How can the mobile economy become a two-way exchange that benefits businesses and value-seeking consumers?  

“TAP: Unlocking the Mobile Economy” by Anindya Ghose 

In this book, author Anindya Ghose explores the transformative impact of mobile technologies on business and society. He offers insights into how mobile platforms are reshaping industries, consumer behavior and economic dynamics. 

Currently, the cultural mindset says that smartphones are stalkers. They take in information and then use it against consumers. However, Ghose, a global authority on the mobile economy, draws on research in the United States, Europe and Asia, and on a variety of real-world examples from companies including Alibaba, China Mobile, Coke, Facebook, SK Telecom, Telefónica and Travelocity, to argue that the mobile economy can be a two-way exchange that makes companies smarter and benefits value-seeking customers.  

Ghose considers current factors such as AI, augmented and virtual reality, and the Internet of Things, while also diving deep into consumer behavior patterns, to present compelling evidence on how we can transform our approach to the mobile economy.   

This recommendation is from Meiling Jiang, PhD. Jiang is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics at the Hankamer School of Business. 

What is one simple but powerful change I can make today to positively influence my business? 

“Ask More” by Frank Sesnos 

Questions are powerful tools that tear down barriers, uncover secrets and devise new answers to problems and puzzles. The best part? Asking them is an immediately implementable tool anyone can start using today.  

In “Ask More”, Sesnos presents all kinds of different questions. Given the current focus on creating the best “prompts” or questions for various generative AI tools, this focus is timely and crucial for business.  

The author details 11 different types of questions that can be asked in organizations. Here is a small sampling of question types and how they can be used: 

• Diagnostic Questions – These questions can be used to help get to the root of a problem. Think along the lines of: How would you describe the problem? What was the first thing you noticed? Why do you think this happened? Each of these points begins to dissect the problem.  
• Strategic Questions – Using these types of questions can move you closer to understanding a company’s strategy and associated motivations. How would we describe our mission? What might the next steps be? What would you identify as the top 3 goals? 
• Creative Questions – Prompt people to think about new ideas and contemplate “what might be” with creative questions. An example of a start to a creative question would be: What would it be like if our company were to…? Or a big-picture creative question might be: How might that project impact more people?  

With this book, readers can take the prompt to build a portfolio of questions that, as a leader, can greatly benefit a team. 

This recommendation is from Gary Carini, PhD. Before joining the Provost Office as vice provost for Graduate Professional Education, Carini served as a professor of Management and associate dean for Graduate Business Programs at the Hankamer School of Baylor University. 

How can I create effective strategies at work that deliver impactful results? 

“Good Strategy, Bad Strategy” by Richard Rumelt 

Rumelt helps readers identify both effective and detrimental strategies in a variety of business fields, from food to technology. Each strategy is evaluated for its strengths and shortcomings. When implementing projects, executing campaigns or introducing new ideas, the strategy used acts as a roadmap to the success of these initiatives. Each component guides the team through every phase, providing efficiency, effective communication and methods for problem solving.  

“This is still my favorite book on strategy – it explains the difference between a meaningful, actionable strategy and the fluffy vision statements that often pass for strategic plans,” said Peter Klein, PhD, the W.W. Caruth Endowed Chair, professor of Entrepreneurship, and chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation for Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. 

Leadership and Innovation – How do we Incorporate the Two?  

“Innovation Capital: How to Compete – and Win – Like the World’s Most Innovative Leaders” by Jeff Dyer, Nathan Furr, and Curtis Lefrandt 

Another recommendation by Klein, this book takes readers into the minds of modern business’s most impactful leaders. From Elon Musk to Marc Benioff, every business leader has an arsenal of innovative ideas that propel their company forward. However, creativity by itself is not enough. Networking, vision, and reputation are all components Lefrandt covers to prepare professionals for success in innovation.  

“This book shows that good ideas aren’t enough – you also need to attract resources to support them,” Klein said.  

What’s Next? 

If you are looking for books to give you an edge in 2025, these books are a great place to start. Of course, they are just a small portion of how you can revolutionize your knowledge, career and approach to business. 

Want to add even more MBA books to your shelf? Take a look at our 10 MBA Books to Read in 2024. 

Click here to learn more about MBA programs at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business or fill out this form to speak directly with an Enrollment Coordinator.