Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it)

by Salim Ismail

That’s why, when we look at the position statements of existing Exponential Organizations, we encounter statements of purpose that might have seemed outrageous in years past: TED: “Ideas worth spreading.” Google: “Organize the world’s information.” X Prize Foundation: “Bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.” Quirky: “Make invention accessible.” Singularity University: “Positively impact one billion people.” At first glance, these statements may seem to align with the trend in recent years to rewrite corporate statements to be shorter, simpler and more generalized. But on closer inspection, you’ll note that each of the statements is also very aspirational. None states what the organization does, but rather what it aspires to accomplish. The aspirations are neither narrow nor even technology-specific. Rather, they aim to capture the hearts and minds—and imaginations and ambitions—of those both inside and (especially) outside the organization.