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Envisioned future — the second primary component of the vision framework — consists of two parts: a ten-to thirty-year “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” and vivid descriptions of what it will be like when the organization achieves the BHAG. We selected the phrase “envisioned future,” recognizing that it contains a paradox. On the one hand, it conveys a sense of concreteness — something vivid and real; you can see it, touch it, feel it. On the other hand, it portrays a time yet unrealized — a dream, hope, or aspiration.

— Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras

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  1. When the mapping from functional elements to components is one-to-one, each component implements one and only one function. Such components are therefore useful in any other applications where their associated functions occur. Components of an artifact exhibiting an integral architecture would potentially be useful only in other artifacts containing the exact combination of functional elements, or parts of functional elements, implemented by the component. A modular architecture also enables component interfaces to be identical across several products. Interfaces in modular architectures are decoupled—that is, a particular component will not have to change when surrounding components are changed. Therefore, different […]
  2. A well-conceived vision consists of two major components — core ideology and an envisioned future. Notice the direct parallel to the fundamental “preserve the core/stimulate progress” dynamic. A good vision builds on the interplay between these two complementary yin-and-yang forces: it defines “what we stand for and why we exist” that does not change (the core ideology) and sets forth “what we aspire to become, to achieve, to create” that will require significant change and progress to attain (the envisioned future). To pursue the vision means to create organizational and strategic alignment to preserve the core ideology and stimulate […]
  3. Core ideology provides the bonding glue that holds an organization together as it grows, decentralizes, diversifies, expands globally, and attains diversity within. Think of core ideology as analogous to the principles of Judaism that held the Jewish people together for centuries without a homeland, even as they spread in the Diaspora. Or think of it like the truths held to be “self-evident” in the United States Declaration of Independence, or the enduring ideals and principles of the scientific community that bond scientists from every nationality together with the common purpose of advancing human knowledge. Any effective vision must embody […]
  4. At its simplest, a strategy is a plan for achieving a goal — a bird’s-eye view of the path that will take us from where we are now to where we want to go. It’s important to understand the distinction between strategy and tactics if we’re to elevate ‘story’ in our organisations and use it as more than just a communications tool. If a strategy is the path to your goal, tactics are the specific steps you take as you navigate that path. Imagine your business purpose and vision as a mountain peak. Your strategy is the route map […]
  5. “I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists simply to make money. While this is an important result of a company’s existence, we have to go deeper and find the real reasons for our being.” (Core) Purpose, which should last at least 100 years, should not be confused with specific goals or business strategies, which should change many times in 100 years. Whereas you might achieve a goal or complete a strategy, you cannot fulfill a purpose; it is like a guiding star on the horizon — forever pursued, but never reached. Yet while purpose itself does […]

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