The Exponential Era. David Espindola
is a must read for top management teams who recognize the importance of disrupting themselves before they are disrupted.”
Stefanie Ann Lenway, Dean, Opus College of Business, University of St. Thomas
“Whether your business is a ‘flash boiled frog,’ a ‘fast and furious gazelle,’ a ‘disruptive unicorn,’ or a ‘dancing elephant,’ you will find a lot of useful terms and insightful ideas in this book about the exponential growth of digital platforms and technologies that have overturned established companies and entire industries. The book offers a new approach to strategic planning in this exponential era – SPX – that is fast, flexible and iterative, using design thinking and OODA (Observe‐Orient‐Decide‐Act) methods to help companies become the disrupters rather than the disrupted. Read this book and let the experimentation begin!”
Thomas Fisher, Professor, Director of the Minnesota Design Center and Dayton Hudson Chair in Urban Design, College of Design at the University of Minnesota.
“Many organizations cling to what eventually kills them. This book spotlights the root causes and prescribes a new operating system calibrated for thriving in the exponential era. It’s likely to be the book you wish you’d read five years ago!”
Elvin Turner, Author, Be Less Zombie: How Great Companies Create Dynamic Innovation, Fearless Leadership and Passionate People
“Michael Wright and David Espindola have written a Future Shock for the 2020s and beyond. This is a guide not simply for the engineering community, but for the broader society of all organizations, non‐profits, and individuals. They do more than explain new technologies and systems. They explain how these systems are interrelated and will affect our lives. In the end, SPX is a process for asking the right questions.”
Todd Lefko, President, International Business Development Council and Chairman, Russian‐American Business and Culture Council (RABCC)
“If you want to know how culture can add to exponential value, look no further. This is the guide and much more.”
Marcus Kirsch, Author, The Wicked Company
“The authors have been consistently right about capitalizing on ‘What’s next?’ The COVID‐19 environment has challenged CEOs and entrepreneurs to immediately rethink and accelerate their Strategy‐2‐Execution and Ideation‐2‐Monetization value chains. The Exponential Era is an optimistic must read and SPX is a practitioners’ playbook to become an agile, innovative, sustainable and profitable enterprise.”
Murad S. Velani, CEO of Bluespire
A Note from the Series Editor
Welcome to the brand‐new Wiley‐IEEE Press Series on Technology Management, Innovation, and Leadership!
The IEEE Press imprint of John Wiley & Sons is well known for its books on technical and engineering topics. This new series extends the reach of the imprint, from engineering and scientific developments to innovation and business models, policy and regulation, and ultimately to societal impact. For those who are seeking to make a positive difference for themselves, their organization, and the world, technology management, innovation, and leadership are essential skills to hone.
The world today is increasingly technological in many ways. Yet, while scientific and technical breakthroughs remain important, it’s connecting the dots from invention to innovation to the betterment of humanity and our ecosphere that has become increasingly critical. Whether it’s climate change or water management or space exploration or global healthcare, a technological breakthrough is just the first step. Further requirements can include prototyping and validation, system or ecosystem integration, intellectual property protection, supply/value chain set‐up, manufacturing capacity, regulatory and certification compliance, market studies, distribution channels, cost estimation and revenue projection, environmental sustainability assessment, and more. The time, effort, and funding required for realizing real‐world impact dwarfs what was expended on the invention. There are no generic answers to the big‐picture questions either; the considerations vary by industry sector, technology area, geography, and other factors.
Volumes in the series will address related topics both in general—e.g., frameworks that can be applied across many industry sectors—and in the context of one or more application domains. Examples of the latter include transportation and energy, smart cities and infrastructure, and biomedicine and healthcare. The series scope also covers the role of government and policy, particularly in an international technological context.
With 30 years of corporate experience behind me and about five years now in the role of leading a Management of Technology program at a university, I see a broad‐based need for this series that extends across industry, academia, government, and nongovernmental organizations. We expect to produce titles that are relevant for researchers, practitioners, educators, and others.
I am honored to be leading this important and timely publication venture.
Tariq Samad
Senior Fellow and Honeywell/W.R. Sweatt Chair in Technology Management
Director of Graduate Studies, M.S. Management of Technology
Technological Leadership Institute | University of Minnesota
IEEE Press Series on Technology Management, Innovation, and Leadership
IEEE Press 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854
IEEE Press Editorial Board Ekram Hossain, Editor in Chief
| Jón Atli Benediktsson | David Alan Grier | Elya B. Joffe |
| Xiaoou Li | Peter Lian | Andreas Molisch |
| Saeid Nahavandi | Jeffrey Reed | Diomidis Spinellis |
| Sarah Spurgeon | Ahmet Murat Tekalp |
THE EXPONENTIAL ERA
STRATEGIES TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE IN AN ERA OF CHAOTIC CHANGES AND DISRUPTIVE FORCES
David Espindola
Michael W. Wright
This edition first published 2021
© 2021 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by law. Advice on how to obtain permission to reuse material from this title is available at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
The right of David Espindola and Michael W. Wright to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.
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