Promise-Based Management
Are promises active? In the April 2, 2007 issue of ComputerWorld, there is a Q&A with Donald N. Sull. Sull is an associate professor of management practice at the London Business School. Interesting article and reminded me of our discussion on authenticity and ethics.
Here is an excerpt:
You say good promises are active. What does that mean?
Psychologists have found that people who have a chance to actively discuss a promise feel much more bound to deliver. But often what happens is someone comes in and says, “We want this functionality. I’m in a rush; I have to go.� If you leave it at that, there’s a lot of room for misunderstanding. Customers have to realize that part of their job is investing time to explain themselves well and to check and ensure that the provider has actually understood. It also means that both parties take responsibility for maintaining the conversation throughout execution, as when the CIO comes up with better technology to solve the problem.
Here is the full article: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=286577&pageNumber=2