Читать книгу The Exponential Era - David Espindola - Страница 17

So far, we have made the case that we are living in a new era where changes are happening at unprecedented speeds, and where the rapid convergence of technology vectors is creating ecosystems imbued with new threats and opportunities that accelerate with astonishing speed. We have identified the importance of seeing the inflection point in exponential curves before it happens in order to benefit from the resulting changes. We have also recognized that culture plays a critical part in a company's strategy and ability to embrace change, and that the leadership team of incumbents needs to have an ambidextrous strategy, exploiting the existing S‐curve, while simultaneously exploring new ones.

This may seem fairly straightforward on the surface, but the reality is that companies struggle to detect the early signals that warn them of an impending inflection point. Even if they see the signals, unless they have a carefully crafted methodology that guides them through their strategic planning processes, chances are they will not take the actions necessary to leverage the opportunities and mitigate the threats of exponential changes.

So how can large companies develop the same capabilities as startups that enable them to detect early signals? How can they “see around corners” as Rita McGrath calls it? How can the leadership team incentivize the organization to pursue new opportunities and create a culture that embraces exponential change, and the chaos that it can create, as a natural part of doing business in this new era?

We believe the answer lies in adopting a robust methodology and a set of tools that the organization can use to guide it through the disruptive nature of the Exponential Era. We call it Strategic Planning for the Exponential Era, or SPX for short.

We will spend a significant portion of the book unpacking the basis of SPX and its fundamental activities. SPX was born out of a set of principles and methods from disciplines as diverse as software development, manufacturing, design, and the military. It applies to strategic planning the benefits that other methods that embrace agility and experimentation have brought to the solution of complex problems when operating in an environment that is uncertain and that changes at fast speeds.