“If You Face”
The CoThrive Commitment Network was developed to tackle real-life business issues - the kinds that frustrate executives and employees alike. No company is immune. In years of working with major corporations, mid-size organizations and small businesses, we heard consistent themes emerge. Do any of these comments sound like they could have come from your company?
“The schedule for our new product launch is slipping. Everyone is working hard but it seems like we’re always months behind! I’m tired of the finger-pointing and just want to get a clear picture of what’s going on so I can get it under control!”
The CoThrive Commitment Network creates clarity. Commitments are agreed to before they become visible to others (unlike e-mail which is “one way” and visible only to the sender and receiver). When commitments are visible, important things don’t fall through the cracks.
“We’ve got project management tools but no one uses them. They just don’t see the value.”
It’s no surprise. Project management tools work like rear-view mirrors. If you tell them where you’ve been, they can tell you where you’ve been. CoThrive’s perspective is to tell you where you’re going. Our Commitment Network is future-state based. It focuses on desired outcomes rather than process or activities. The application helps you - and your people - focus on the right thing(s) to do next, rather than just on the next thing on the list. Our clients report that this one aspect helps them get more done in less time.
“We have 90 people in 7 cities who need to pull together to get our operations back on track. With people’s insane schedules and different time zones, we keep stepping on each other’s toes and wasting time and money.”
CoThrive’s Commitment Network helps teams pull together by identifying context for the work that is being done and linking work commitments to it. Even when processes aren’t already established, shared goals and commitments provide a clear focus and help to structure efforts. CoThrive’s Commitment Network supports context-shaping, development, and use, helping your virtual teams get and stay on track.
“Our annual meeting is coming up. Last year everyone seemed to do fine on their own part of the preparatory work, but when it came time to integrate, all hell broke loose!”
Through the CoThrive Commitment Network, every commitment is linked to company mission and goals. With everyone pulling in the same direction, integration becomes easier. Also, by making the dependencies between commitments and their outcomes visible, each contributor in a large project can see how their part ‘fits in’. That means fewer loose ends.
“Manage results? I can’t even focus on next week’s priorities! We’re always fighting fires. The bigger (and frankly most important) stuff we want to do always ends up on the back burner.”
Because you can see how your work fits within your company network of commitments, it’s much easier to see what is the next right thing to do. You can see, in context, how changing one of your commitments affects others upstream, downstream, or side-stream. It’s a powerful tool for setting priorities and creating alignment!
