To get things done, we subscribe to the idea of “peer production” (Prof. Yochai Benkler) and use “effectual leadership” (Prof. Saras Sarasvathy) within the organization. Our internal collaboration is explicitly modeled on open-source projects. In contrast to traditional organizations, we consciously use “polycentric governance” (Prof. Elinor Ostrom). In terms of economic principles, we embrace Paul Romer’s work on knowledge economy. We see ideas, people and things as the relevant factors of production in place of the traditional factors of land, labor and capital. Read more about the iSPIRT Governing Framework and Volunteer Model.

iSPIRT is organized as a collection of causes. All our efforts across these causes are guided by five beliefs:

Entrepreneurs help entrepreneurs

Just like a chain of mountain climbers, our product entrepreneur community is at different stages of evolution. There is an entire generation which has already established itself in terms of product, processes, people and market. We encourage this generation to “pay forward” and nurture the newcomers. Learning from those who have been “through the grind” ensures that insights are better and mistakes are fewer. This also means the potential of catapulting the next generation to the path of growth and prosperity much quicker due to better tacit industry knowledge.

Enablers, not cheer-leaders

We are not in the stadium but in the field. We have a keen sense of the institutional voids and ecosystem gaps that are holding back the growth of the Software Product Industry in India. We adopt a “roll up your sleeves” attitude to fix these voids and gaps. Towards this end, we work for a cause not for applause. We are an oasis of high trust that allows many collaborators to come together to build the ‘public goods’. Our public goods are available to all software product companies on an open-access basis.

Technology as a leverage point for changing systems

We believe that there are places within a complex system (an economy, a city, an ecosystem) where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything. We use Donella Meadows’ framework to think about leverage points where interventions can make a difference. We see software products as the “magic bullets” that can alter an entire system and bring about positive social change by leapfrogging to the next generation.

Think Tank, not lobby group

We build public goods without public money. Our public goods are free of commercial interests. We believe that a think tank like ours is more credible and impactful than a traditional trade body.

We are at an inflection point as a country and it's time to act

We believe that the time to act is now. Any delay in nurturing or fostering the industry could impair growth and curb the opportunity that this industry presents to the country. The positive impact is on employment, capital, investment, infrastructure and ultimately, revenue and growth for the country as a whole.