Exponential Organizations
TechCrunch published Nabyl Charania’s piece, “Exponential Organizations Are The Future Of Global Business And Innovation.” Nabyl explains that the “agility” and “leanness” that StartUps have - are today’s determining factor of market competitiveness. Why is any of this important? Because ExO companies have the capacity to take the place of fortune 500 companies. Rokk3r Labs partnered with Salim Ismail, author of “Exponential Organizations” and the visionary founding Executive Director of Singularity University, to present a daylong workshop outlining the principles of ExO. Principles that Rokk3r currently practices and plans to implement with the companies they co-build.
There are 7 principles of ‘Lean’ intended to optimize processes:
1. Eliminate Waste: This does not mean literally garbage but things such as unnecessary waiting and extra processes.
2. Amplify Learning
3. Decide as Late as Possible
4. Deliver as Fast as Possible
5. Empower the Team
6. Build Integrity Within
7. See the Whole
For more information about Lean see the article: “The lean startup: How to stay lean when your company takes off” by Marcio Cyrillo (http://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/the-lean-startup/).
As for agility, dictionary.com defines agility as: 1. the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness: exercises demanding agility. 2. the ability to think and draw conclusions quickly; intellectual acuity.
Although this definition applies to athletics it can also be applied to organizations such as software development companies. The following visual beautifully illustrates the 12 principles of agile:
Photo Credit: (http://www.biggerplate.com/mapImages/xl/64fc52c5-ce73-4757-b208-b4f6463a5879.png)
PMI created a report that details the benefits of implementing the principles of agility and summarizes its report with the following equation: “Greater Organizational Agility = Better Performance = Improved Competitive Advantage.” http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Research/Organizational-Agility-In-Depth-Report.ashx
Large fortune 500 companies must make the appropriate changes in order to meet the technological and social demands of today. These changes mean being more intentional about strategies and rethinking day-to-day operations. At Rokk3r Labs I am learning about the value that staff and interns bring to a forward thinking evolving company. The agile and lean principles ensure that all players (customers, team, and management) are considered and vital to overall effectiveness. I am left wondering if the principles that ensure efficiency in companies can also be applied to governmental organizations and institutions, particularly for schools.
