The world is in rapid change, often shifting in the most unexpected directions. Something reflected in the current political and financial climate. Businesses that don’t adapt could find themselves left behind and in trouble.

The Expertise Economy, by Kelly Palmer of LinkedIn, Degreed and Yahoo, and David Blake of Degreed was of particular interest to me because it champions an approach to learning which is close to my heart professionally. The book makes the case that the businesses are better suited to adapt if their employees are able to do the same, often looking outside their current abilities and acquiring new skill sets, through a personalised learning approach.

Granted you need to take on board that the authors have a vested financial interest in championing this approach as their companies are about facilitating this type of learning, but what they have to say makes a great deal of sense and can work for any size of organisation.

The easy and fluid read brings together interviews from people in organisations that are household names such as NASA and Google. There are also articles on new approaches to learning which dispense with the obligatory gathering of employees in a “death by PowerPoint” seminar by allowing them to strengthen their skill set on an individualised basis.

This book is equally applicable, not only to a company CEO, but also to employees, the self-employed and young people trying to find their way through the now rapidly shifting world of business.

It is about shrugging off complacency, considering whether money is a sufficient compensation for a soul-destroying job and whether it is time to take that pay cut for a more emotionally and psychologically rewarding challenge.

The content does revolve around digital technology, but this is a concept with which a worker needs to be conversant, given that it is now embedded in the culture of work. Online learning is also a growth industry with excellent content that can be absorbed at the learner’s pace, as well as providing subjects a student might never have thought they might have access to due to cost or location.

A revolution is afoot in the world of work and The Expertise Economy shows you simply and clearly how to harness its strength to make your working life as rewarding as the personal one away from it.