New Books Cover Communication, Climate Change Politics, and NBA
Three instructors have published recent books or have one scheduled for publication soon. The writers examine the evolution of play in the NBA, the partisanship in the climate change debate, and the use of virtual tools in the workplace.
“Ping: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication”
Management professor Andrew Brodsky explains when and how to use remote communication tools at work. Using his research on such tools, he tackles the big questions: How can we interact most productively and authentically? How do we build relationships at a distance? How can we increase workplace inclusion? How can we best deal with conflict via virtual communication?
Brodsky also notes how the bad use of these tools can have negative effects: employee burnout because of back-to-back-to-back video calls, lack of connection with colleagues or customers, and potential embarrassment or misunderstandings with the wrong forwarded message or a viral tweet.
The book is split into three parts, and each chapter highlights an important challenge when using communication technologies. “Ping” will be available in February 2025. And your camera — it’s OK to turn it off, Brodsky says. Sometimes it’s even better.
“Climate of Contempt: how to rescue the u.s. Energy Transition from Voter Partisanship”
Business, Government & Society professor David Spence examines the narrative that blames the wealthy and powerful in the struggle to reach climate change goals. He identifies bitter partisanship as the main roadblock to a net zero carbon future.
Spence says that the solution requires active awareness of and resistance to the effects of modern media on belief formation. It requires more reliance on traditional long-form journalism and face-to-face communication across ideological and partisan boundaries.
“Climate of Contempt” is the result of the years Spence spent studying the subject. He also acknowledges the 20-plus Texas Law students who helped with research in political science, law, economics, psychology, and other social sciences during those years.
“Hoop Atlas: Mapping the Remarkable Transformation of the Modern NBA”
Management instructor Kirk Goldsberry graphically explores the evolution of the NBA since his most recent book in 2019. In “Sprawlball: A Visual Tour of the New Era of the NBA,” he used basketball court cartography to explore the game’s three-point explosion and to explain how and why long-distance sharpshooters had taken over the league. That book became a New York Times bestseller.
With his new book, Goldsberry, who is also the executive director of the Business of Sports Institute at the University, uses his visualizations to look at how the game has changed. During the five years since “Sprawball,” skilled big men have come to combine shooting and ball handling with the brute force of traditional centers.
“Atlas” in the title refers to the character in Greek mythology who held the heavens on his shoulders. Every few years, a player or players come along who fundamentally change how the game is played. These players each become an “Atlas” for the league, carrying the weight of the NBA on their shoulders.
