The 4Spires Science & Values
Behind Our Products

Have you ever made a request of a colleague or staff person and then lost track of it wondering “Where does that stand? Did he ever get back to me on that?” Have you ever delegated a task and wondered if the performer was really committed to doing it? Ever made a task request of someone who never responded? Ever had a task slip because it was unclear who had the ball for the next step? Ever come out of a meeting with some good ideas tossed around and heads nodding that we should do “X” only to realize afterwards that no one actually took ownership and nothing is going to get done?

A new work management concept that addresses these all-too-common occurrences called “Commitment Based Management” is beginning to enter the mainstream of modern management practice. Based on management theories advanced over the last 30 years by John Searle, Fernando Flores, Terry Winograd, and others, the core idea is simple—people accomplish more of those tasks to which they are really committed. The practice is also simple—the two parties, requester and performer, engage in an explicit conversation in which a clear commitment to deliver is negotiated, agreed, and followed through. The idea is, in fact, obvious, but careful observation of our current work practices shows that it rarely occurs. Real commitments are rare and most task-related conversations are fractured and incomplete. Requests are poorly formed, tasks are assigned without obtaining real agreements from performers, deliveries are made haphazardly, and there is rarely a clear statement of satisfaction by the requester. The result is missed deadlines, wasted effort, and low trust.

Mounting case study evidence shows organizations that adopt commitment based management practices achieve astounding and rapid improvements in virtually all measures of performance including reduced cycle times, reduced cost, increased sales, improved morale and employee engagement, etc. The rigorous use of a simple model of a conversation-based-commitment clarifies ownership, makes it clear who owns the next act, and enables users to track the agreements they have made and those that others have made to them.

4Spires was founded with a vision to bring this new management model, practices and behaviors to the business world through the use of on-demand, web technology. Our applications provide a workspace where business people can connect, converse, collaborate and commit to take action together. Our solutions are designed to stimulate new business practices, and to record, monitor and report on effective conversations that lead to enhanced organization performance.

4Spires—Company Name

The 4Spires company name reflects the 4 phases of a virtuous conversation for collaborative action.

Phase 1: Collaboration between two people to complete an initiative always starts with preparation. The requester begins by describing the context, the problem or idea that prompts their request. The more background the performer knows, the more likely they are to provide a response that satisfies the requester’s concerns. This is the step that INSPIRES the whole conversation, and it concludes with a clear and specific request being made to the performer.

Phase 2: Next, it’s the performer’s turn to respond and say whether they agree to deliver on the request. They can also decline or make a counter offer. The two people are negotiating and making clear what the performer can commit to; they CONSPIRE to craft an agreement. This stage ends with the performer making a clear commitment to deliver an outcome by an agreed date.

Phase 3: This is the delivery stage. Having made a commitment for a certain delivery on a certain date, the performer is now engaged in doing the work. Figuratively, they are PERSPIRING. The performer has the lead role in this stage, but both parties share in the dialog regarding work in progress. This stage ends when the performer makes the delivery.

Phase 4: In order to close the loop and complete the conversation, the requester must acknowledge the delivery and provide an expression of satisfaction back to the performer. Both parties ASPIRE to have satisfied the requester’s original concerns AND to have built a foundation of mutual trust that will enhance their relationship and their next conversation.

These same 4 phases also describe the “conversation” we strive to have with our customers.

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