A Big Hairy Audacious Goal is a strategic business statement similar to
a vision statement which is created to focus an organization on a single
medium-long term organization-wide goal which is audacious, likely to be
externally questionable, but not internally regarded as impossible.
The term 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal' was proposed by James Collins and Jerry
Porras in their 1994 book entitled Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary
Companies. A BHAG encourages companies to define visionary goals that are more
strategic and emotionally compelling. Many businesses set goals that describe
what they hope to accomplish over the coming days, months or years. These
goals help align employees of the business to work together more
effectively. Often these goals are very tactical, such as "achieve 10% revenue
growth in the next 3 months." In contrast, Collins and Porras define a
BHAG as "...an audacious 10-to-30-year goal to progress towards an envisioned
future." The authors claim that a company may have more than one BHAG;
there may be one over-reaching BHAG and other shorter term BHAGs.
"A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as unifying focal point of
effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line,
so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot
for finish lines." Notable Examples
SpaceX: Enable human exploration and settlement of Mars.
AIESEC: Engage and develop every young person in the world.
Blackpool FC: Reach English Premier League.
Facebook: To make the world more open and connected.
Ford: Democratize the automobile. Google: Organize the world's information
and make it universally accessible and useful.
Hong Kong Broadband Network: Be the largest IP provider in Hong Kong by
2016. JFK's Moon Challenge: This nation should
commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a
man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.
Microsoft: A computer on every desk and in every home.
SolarAid: To eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020
Amazon.com: To be Earth's most customer-centric company.
Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation: To cure blood cancer through marrow
donation by ensuring a match for every patient in need, whenever they need one.
References ^ Collins, J. & Porras, J.. 'Built To
Last. p. 113. ^ Collins, J. & Porras, J.. Building
Your Company's Vision. Vol. 74, Iss. 5: Harvard Business Review. pp. 65–77.
^ "Elon Musk: I'll Put a Man on Mars in 10 Years". Market Watch. 2011-04-22.
Archived from the original on 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
^ [1] ^ English Premier League, 05-22-2010,
English Premier League, accessed on 12-15-2011.
^ Josh, Constine. "Zuckerberg Receives Hoodie, Says “Our Mission Isn’t To Be A
Public Company” In Pre-IPO Remarks". TechCrunch. AOL Inc.
^ Forbes’ Greatest Business Stories of All Time. Forbes Inc. 1996.
^ Company Overview, Google.com ^ FTTH Deployment in Hong Kong:
Successful Story of a Forerunner ^ Address Before a Joint Session of
Congress, 25 May 1961 [2] ^ Microsoft's Tradition of Innovation,
Microsoft.com ^ http:www.solar-aid.org
^ About Amazon, Amazon.com ^ Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation