A company either disrupts or is disrupted. Large, slow-moving organizations are no longer the dominant force in business. Instead, new companies are achieving growth rates never before thought possible.

What makes these companies, all of which have very different business models, stand out from the competition?

Exponential Organizations (ExOs) are growing at an above-average rate – up to ten times faster than comparable companies in the industry – but can cope with far fewer resources thanks to new forms of organization and the use of new, especially digital , technologies.

Salim Ismail, who first coined the term ExOs, has identified 11 characteristics that characterize the exemplary ExO: Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP), five intrinsic qualities, and five extrinsic qualities.

A framework of approach and thinking developed through scientific research and used by experienced entrepreneurs to build successful businesses across industries, geographies and times.

Dr Saras Sarasvathy's Theory of Effectuation describes an approach to decision-making and taking action in business processes where you determine your best possible next step by assessing the resources available to achieve your goals, while constantly balancing those goals with your resources and actions.

Effectual reasoning differs from causal reasoning, where there is a predetermined goal and the process to achieve it is carefully planned according to a given set of resources. Sarasvathy argues that causal reasoning is not appropriate for business processes that are inherently characterized by uncertainty and risk.