I have a very vague recollection that the 4C’s concept was taught to me in my very brief stint in the Canadian Navy by a Chief Warrant Office. Unfortunately, I cannot find anything to collaborate this so I guess I may not owe a debt to that old sea-dog.

1. Competing 3LA’s
2. 4Cs as a Management Mnemonic
3. I See 4C Definitions
4. Using 4Cs
5. Notes and Further Reading

Competing 3LA’s

There are numerous variations this particular 3LA including:

• Company, Customers, Competitors (marketing)
• Computing, Communication, and Consumer (Business)
• Command, Control, and Checkout (NASA, US Gov’t)
• Cross Cultural Competence (US Air Force)
• 3C’s model: The Company, Customers, Competitors (developed by Japanese organizational theorist Kenichi Ohmae).
• 4C’s Command, Control, Coordination & Communications (International Maritime Rescue).

4Cs as a Management Mnemonic

The Maritime Rescue organization’s 4C’s is basically the same as the management construct of ‘Communication, Coordination, Command and Control‘. Unfortunately the details are too narrowly focused on search and rescue functions – so this is my take on  sailing the 4C’s (see what I did there…).

The order presented is important as it defines what action should be taken to achieve an organizational objective.  Although the 4 can be considered in isolation they are inter-related and sequential. Coordination without Communication is wasted and Command without Coordination is also less effective.

Command has more impact on making things happen than Coordination.  Telling someone to “DO IT” makes for the fastest and most direct result.  This comes at a cost with a loss of trust, respect, engagement, etc.  Coordination is more effective than Communication by itself but less effective than Command.

I See 4C Definitions

As for definitions, I am going to rely on the Business Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster.

• Communications: Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas and feelings but also create and share meaning. In general, communication is a means of connecting people or places. In business, it is a key function of management, an organization cannot operate without communication between levels, departments and employees.
• Coordination: The synchronization and integration of activities, responsibilities, command and control structures to ensure that the resources of an organization are used most efficiently in pursuit of the specified objectives. Along with organizing, monitoring, and controlling, coordinating is one of the key functions of management.
• Control (management): A management function aimed at achieving defined goals within an established timetable, and usually understood to have three components: (1) setting standards, (2) measuring actual performance, and (3) taking corrective action. A typical process for management control includes the following steps: (1) actual performance is compared with planned performance, (2) the difference between the two is measured, (3) causes contributing to the difference are identified, and (4) corrective action is taken to eliminate or minimize the difference.
• Command The authority to direct or to give orders. Command is more precise term but not often used in a business context – another reason to leave it to last.

Using 4Cs

The 4Cs is one of my Go-To mental models when I need to get things done. From the finance world, here is an example. I need to collect a variance analysis from different government departments. Assistant Deputy Ministers and their staff have better things to do than fill out an excel template and it is important to maintain a strong client relationship.

In a few remote cases I have had to go directly to ‘Command’. For example, if there are tight timelines from a very senior level (e.g. Cabinet, the Premier). Even in this case, however, I would look to Communication and Coordination to smooth out the ‘ASK’: a well-crafted email, a tele or web conference and of course trying to informally discuss with my clients.

Control is a bit of a silent partner in that setting performance targets and measuring against them is something done to facility good quality in processes.

I try to Communicate Finance ASKS months or quarters in advance. This way when a budget request comes along, my clients are aware. Communication and Coordination can be facilitated with technology and it is best to leave ‘Command’ in the tool box.

Notes and Further Reading

• Henri Fayol described 3 of 4 of these C’s in his 5 principles of management: Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Co-ordinating and Controlling. These are complemented by his 14 principles, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Fayol.