David Espindola - The Exponential Era

James B. Stake, former Executive Vice President, Enterprise Services, 3M Company, Chairman, Ativa Medical Corporation and Member of Board of Directors, public and private companies“

The Exponential Era is a must‐read for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and virtually anyone navigating our highly complex and rapidly changing world. David Espindola and Michael W. Wright offer a great model for a thoughtful and logical way to develop a strategy for environments dominated by innovation, disruption, and rapidly changing market forces. Along the way – Espindola and Wright draw on the already broad subject area to give the reader an idea of not only where we have been but where the art of strategy formation and decision‐making is going. Entertaining, practical, well‐researched, I strongly recommend this book, a primer for navigating the future.”

General (Ret. 4 Star) Joseph L. Votel, President and CEO, Business Executives for National Security (BENS)

“A century ago, a convergence across domains ushered in unprecedented advancements in human development. A look at history is very instructive, as several dynamics from that period have the potential to emerge once again – the biggest being the opportunity for convergence. In this context, convergence refers to a virtuous cycle where events in one domain spur action in another. As a futurist, focusing on the intersections provides a window into the future. Visualizing the building blocks and how they converge is the most effective way to navigate a very uncertain future. The Exponential Era does a great job of not only describing exponential technologies, but how they likely converge to transform our world. Education and dialog are critical to creating a constructive future – this book contributes to that end.”

Frank Diana, Managing Partner, Futurist, TATA Consultancy Services

“ The Exponential Era is an essential read for our times. Our values, curiosity and a vision that champions change and improvement (Always Get Better!) embraces many of the concepts captured in the SPX methodology outlined in the book. By monitoring horizons, initiating multiple small experiments and scaling rapidly, we were able to achieve a higher level of profitability and stability despite the chaotic changes all around us. Dynamic planning processes, like those described in this book, when coupled with great cultures, work!”

John Puckett, Owner of Punch Pizza and Co‐founder of Caribou Coffee

“ The Exponential Era will help corporations and its leaders see the technical tornados coming and have the courage to experiment and walk toward the storms, emerging on a new path to a successful exciting future. The Exponential Era is a scary place ‐ learn to embrace the change, enjoy it, and thrive.”

Ronald Peterson, PhD, former Vice President of Technology, Honeywell Corporation and Author, Gardeners of the Universe

“The new conventional wisdom highlights the increasing rate of change of business processes and the disruption of product markets driven by Moore’s law. The challenge that many companies face is that by the time competitive threats driven by Moore’s law become visible, it is too late for them to respond. The Exponential Era provides a roadmap for strategic decision making in a digital world. It 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.