In the empirical component of our research, we combined findings from two parallel streams of inquiry. The first consisted of comparative case studies that analyzed how executives acquired and transformed bureaucratic organizations (typically state-owned enterprises) to compete effectively in volatile emerging markets. The clinical research focused on the specific steps management took during due diligence, negotiation and post-merger integration to improve how commitments were made and honored within the acquired firm.i The case research consisted of multiple semistructured interviews with board members, union executives and middle managers (typically more than 20 per firm) as well as archival and public data. The second stream of analysis consisted of action research, in which advisors from VISION Consulting used commitment-based management techniques to help improve the performance of more than 100 organizations in various industries, including financial services, heavy manufacturing, high tech, telecommunications, biotechnology and media. The large number and diversity of interventions yielded findings on the common sources of breakdowns in commitments and also permitted the development and refinement of practical tools.ii Both research streams drew explicitly on speech act theory (a branch of philosophy that explores how individuals commit themselves to action through promises and declarations) as well as theoretical and empirical research on effective commitments from psychology and social psychology.iii

i. The sample included Mittal Steel (several emerging markets), AmBev (beverages and brewing in South America), America Latina Logistica (railways in Brazil and Argentina), Haier (household appliances in China), Embraer (aircraft production in Brazil) and CEMEX (cement in several emerging markets). Teaching cases were published for some of the companies, including D.N. Sull, M. Escobari, T. Sugata and J. Cabera, “Spinning Steel Into Gold: The Case of Ispat International N.V.,” European Management Journal 17 (1999): 368–381; D.N. Sull and M. Escobari, “Companhia Cervejaria Brahma, 1999,” London Business School case 04-14 (London: London Business School, 2004); D.N. Sull, A.D. Silva and F. Martins, “America Latina Logistica,” Harvard Business School case no. 804–139 (Boston: Harvard Business School, 2004); the Haier case is described in D.N. Sull, “Made in China: What Western Managers Can Learn From China’s Trail-blazing Entrepreneurs” (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2005); and the Embraer case is described in D.N. Sull and M. Escobari, “Success Against the Odds: What Brazilian Champions Teach Us About Thriving in Unpredictable Markets” (Elsevier/Campus, 2005).ii. For a discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of this consulting approach, see C. Spinosa, F.