Commitment-based Management™

Commitment-Based Management™ (CbM) was pioneered in the 1980s by Dr. Fernando Flores, working with Professor Terry Winograd at Stanford and Professors Hubert L. Dreyfus and John Searle at UC Berkeley. Their groundbreaking work fused philosophy, linguistics, and management science to create a radically different way of organising work: through promises, not tasks. It was a breakthrough that reshaped how organisations think about performance.

The practice gained global recognition when Professor Donald N. Sull of MIT and Charles Spinosa featured it in Harvard Business Review in 2007, highlighting its unique ability to drive accountability, coordination and results.

At VISION, we’ve taken these foundations further. For decades, we’ve applied CbM at scale, from delivering complex global capital projects to leading national crisis responses. Few firms understand CbM as deeply, or deploy it as effectively, as we do.

At its core, CbM is simple but transformative: it’s about people managing through the promises they make to one another. Instead of vague tasks or good intentions, it creates a system of clear, negotiated commitments. A request is made, and the person responsible actively defines what they can deliver: “I can’t do that, but I can do this.” The result is a concrete promise, focused on outcomes rather than effort.

Once a promise is made, both parties maintain close communication. If conditions change or surprises arise, the promise is renegotiated. And when the result is delivered, the “customer” declares satisfaction (or not) with care and candour.

Unlike contracts, which are about legal terms, CbM is about trust, alignment, and real results. It works up, down, and across hierarchies, building a culture where people take ownership, honour commitments, and consistently deliver outcomes that matter.

What does Commitment-Based Management™ deliver?

The impact is tangible. Productivity typically rises by around 20%, and in some cases, even higher. One client, who insisted such gains were impossible, saw a 50% improvement.

But the numbers only tell part of the story. Morale shifts are even more dramatic. Teams feel trusted, empowered, and accountable, and that energy translates into lasting performance.

Why does Commitment-Based Management™ work?

At its heart, CbM works because people want to keep the promises they make, especially when those promises are actively negotiated and owned. This creates a shared deep personal commitment, not just a task list.

Two features make the impact even stronger:

• Public promises. When commitments are visible across a team, everyone knows who is doing what. It builds accountability, makes it easier to ask for help, and encourages others to step in and support.
• Connection to purpose. When leaders link promises directly to the organisation’s mission, people see how their work makes a difference. It stops being just a task and becomes something meaningful, even noble.

The result: teams take pride in their work, feel connected to a bigger purpose, and consistently deliver beyond expectations.