Silos kill companies. They’ve always slowed companies down and threatened their success but the more connected the world becomes and the greater the rate of change and innovation, the more deadly these silos are becoming. And yet they’re everywhere, and that is because our companies are built to be silos or collections of silos, the inheritance of an earlier age when corporations were centers of control, and consumers had no connections, no information, no capabilities. But now, none of those old conditions apply. We need an entirely new mindset and design paradigm for this newly decentralized and digital first world, one that optimizes not for the accumulation and protection of resources within controlled environments but rather for their exact opposite, for the flow of resources across networks and ecosystems and communities. We have called this the Boundless paradigm and have identified seven Boundless principles, including Connection, Integration, Decentralization, Mobility, Continuity, Autonomy and Holistic Success. Boundless organizations are the anti-silos, and they represent the blueprint for current and future business success.

Not coincidentally, these Boundless principles also map to key technological advances like digital platforms, blockchain and “defi”, artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous systems, cloud computing, social networks, the Internet of Things, immersive tech (AR/VR and the metaverse), Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), 5G/6G (edge computing) and so on. These technologies will become the Boundless organization’s partners rather than just their tools. This book, Boundless, provides leaders and others within the organization with the understanding of the mindset, operational, organizational, and technological shifts necessary to succeed in this new and emerging world.

HENRY KING leads a firm-wide Salesforce initiative to define the model for current and future success. He has over 15 years’ experience working in the innovation and design thinking space, working with firms like Deloitte Digital, Accenture, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

VALA AFSHAR is an award-winning inventor, author, podcaster, columnist, and speaker in the fields of digital business transformation, leadership, digital marketing, customer service, and new emerging technologies. He is the Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce.

Contents 1

Dedication 1

Acknowledgments 1

Preface 1

Our Journey to Boundless 1

Henry’s Path 1

Vala’s Path 1

Our Continued Journey Together 1

Introduction 1

Change in n-Dimensions 1

The Boundless Model 1

Chapter 1: Silos Kill! 1

Silo Principles 1

Resource Control 1

Input/Output Control 1

Environment Control 1

Impact and Reach of Silos 1

Problems with the Silo Mindset 1

Silos at the Extreme 1

Chapter 2: Boundless: The Anti-Silo 1

The Boundless Principles 1

Guiding Principle: Shared Success 1

Connection 1

Distribution 1

Integration 1

Autonomy 1

Mobility 1

Continuity 1

Principles in Combination 1

The Boundless Model in Action: Case Studies 1

Veta La Palma and Regenerative Agriculture 1

Tesla and the Transformation of the Automobile 1

Chapter 3: Connection 1

Types of Connections 1

Natural Connections 1

Extended and Enhanced Connections 1

Business Connections 1

Relationships 1

All Relationships are Changing 1

Home and Family 1

Society and Culture 1

Production and Consumption 1

Things and Places 1

Successful Companies Adapt Accordingly 1

Business Ecosystems 1

Alibaba: the Digital Ecosystem 1

Kalundborg: The World’s First Industrial Symbiosis 1

The Principles of Ecosystems 1

The Power of Sense 1

Alibaba and Singles Day 1

Zara and the Pink Scarf Story 1

Sensing and Inherent Instability 1

Chapter 4: Distribution 1

COVID-19 and the Definition of Normal 1

Decentralizing Technologies 1

Remote = Local 1

Edges > Centers 1

Chapter 5: Integration 1

Alignment 1

Purpose and Values 1

Guiding Principles 1

Value Goals 1

Decision Rights 1

Ways of Working 1

Teaming Agreements 1

Orchestration and Choreography 1

The “Structure” of Management 1

Orchestration 1

Applying orchestration to human resources 1

Choreography 1

Circularity 1

Experience Circularity (Extend to Entice) 1

Process Circularity (SUDA) 1

Data Circularity 1

Resource Circularity (Reuse, Recycle) 1

Integration, Connection, and Alignment at Salesforce 1

Chapter 6: Autonomy 1

Meanings of Autonomy 1

Next-Generation Human Autonomy 1

Next-Generation Technological Autonomy 1

Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy 1

Identity and Autonomy 1

Digital Identities 1

Emergent Opportunities 1

Tomorrow’s Symbiotic Autonomy 1

Chapter 7: Mobility 1

Flow in Action 1

Open Road Tolling 1

Just Walk Out Shopping 1

Mobile Technology 1

Flow at Work 1

Chapter 8: Continuity 1

Process Flow 1

Manufacturing 1

Pharmaceuticals 1

Healthcare Providers: Virginia Mason Medical System 1

Retail: Zara, Fast by Design 1

Mobility and Continuity 1

Agile and DevOps 1

Beyond Development and Production 1

The Continuous Mindset 1

Living Systems and Circulation 1

Business Continuity Is Life 1

The Language of Continuity 1

Chapter 9: Shared Success 1

Boundless Experiences 1

Boundless Technologies 1

Boundless Business Models 1

Chapter 10: Becoming Boundless 1

The Boundless Principles: Leadership Mindset 1

The Boundless Principles: Metaphors and Language 1

The Boundless Operating Model 1

Relationship Strategy 1

Becoming Boundless 1

Cost versus Waste 1

Productivity versus Value 1

Growth versus Growth 1

In Conclusion 1

References 1