This work is also a quest for answers to a personal question, which, it turns out, is close to Simmel’s question. What causes certain people – often at different stages in their lives – to undertake altruistic, if not saintly, activity, whether through philanthropy, social work, NGO activism or political resolve?

It’s time to get ambitious, not just “visionary.” From an organizational perspective, an ambition specifies a superordinate goal: one not subordinate to the organization (like a vision is), but larger than it. It’s a superordinate goal that transcends the organization itself in three ways. First, it’s more significant than what the organization