— Case Study
How Vested went from a simple idea in 2003 to a global movement adopted around the world.
Elizabeth Kanna named it, branded it, and built the adoption strategy that turned US Air Force-funded academic research into a Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea — like Lean, Six Sigma and Agile before it.
928
Companies Practicing Vested®
13K+
People Trained
48
Universities Worldwide
9
Books on Vested
197
Certified Deal Architects
— The origin
It started with US Air Force-funded research. It needed a name, a brand, and a movement
The research began at the University of Tennessee, funded by the United States Air Force. Lead researcher Kate Vitasek and her team studied the world’s most successful business relationships to understand what made them work. What they found was “win-win” thinking deeply embedded in how the parties operated — shared goals driving innovation and creating value that hadn’t existed before. The research was codified into five rules for successful business relationships.
The team recognized early that this methodology had the transformative potential of Lean and Six Sigma — models that had reshaped entire industries. They didn’t want it trapped within academia. They wanted to institutionalize it across all businesses, in all industries, throughout the world. But first, it needed a name. And a brand. And a strategy for how it would reach that world.
That’s where Elizabeth came in.
Her first task was naming it. She wanted something that did what the best brand names do — become a verb. The way people don’t “perform a Google search,” they Google something. The way you don’t “record with your TiVo,” you TiVo it. She wanted Vested to own its category the same way.
After an intense brainstorming process, she chose “Vested Outsourcing” — later transitioned to simply “Vested” at the right moment in the brand’s adoption. The name captured everything: the highly collaborative relationship between parties, shared value, behavioral economics, mutual success, and the creation of value that did not exist before. One word. The entire concept.
Kate Vitasek
“She coined a name — Vested — and it stuck. It perfectly captured what the methodology was about: both parties being vested in each other’s outcomes.”
Elizabeth on naming
“Naming is crucial. The name needed to define the movement and stand alone as a compelling brand. I also wanted to create a verbable name — the kind that becomes synonymous with what it does. Vested did exactly that.”
Elizabeth on the Challenge
“This wasn’t a product or a company. It was a concept. A research-based methodology that needed to become a new category in business models and practices — while remaining something that could be studied and taught by academia. It was part brand, part theory, and 100% transformative.”
— What Elizabeth Did
Four moves that turned a research methodology into a global movement.
Named It
Coined “Vested” — a verbable brand name that captured shared value, behavioral economics, mutual success, and the creation of value that did not exist before. One word that summed up an entire philosophy. She then built a whole new lexicon around its key principles, creating the language the entire movement would speak.
Built the Brand and Category
Developed an integrated, constantly evolving branding and market adoption strategy. Positioned Vested not as a “new and improved” spin on existing methodologies, but as its own category — the standard against which all other business relationship models would be compared. This prevented the fragmentation that had happened to the developers of Lean.
Positioned It
Positioned Vested alongside the most respected business methodologies in the world. The first book became nine, with four Harvard Business Review articles amplifying the reach.
Moved It to the World
Built the market adoption strategy that carried Vested from the University of Tennessee to boardrooms across five continents. Starting in outsourcing and supply chain, the movement rapidly expanded across all verticals — from Fortune 500s and government agencies to nonprofits and the United Nations.
— Who Went Vested
From the boardroom to the United Nations.
Notable Partnerships
P&G and Jones Lang LaSalle — facilities and real estate management
Microsoft and Accenture — business process outsourcing
P&G and Jones Lang LaSalle — facilities and real estate management
McDonald’s — supply chain management
Water for People — nonprofit sector
Organizations That Have Gone Vested
Intel
IBM
GE
Boeing
Chevron
Shell
BP
FedEx
DHL
Dell
J&J
AstraZeneca
Novartis
EY
PwC
JLL
CIA
United Nations
928 companies and counting
— The Journey
From a university research project to a Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea.
2003
The idea is born
A simple question at the University of Tennessee: is there a better way to work with trading partners, especially outsourcing partners where companies spend millions with service providers as an extension of their firm? That question became a research project funded by the U.S. Air Force, led by Kate Vitasek.
Elizabeth Joins
Named, branded, and positioned for the world
Elizabeth coins “Vested,” builds the brand identity and entire new lexicon around its principles, and develops the integrated market adoption strategy. She positions it not as a next-generation tweak on existing models, but as its own category — the standard against which all business relationship methodologies would be compared.
February 2010
The first book. February becomes Vested’s birthday
The first Vested book is published in February 2010. Every February since has been celebrated as the birthday of the Vested movement. Nine books on Vested have followed, along with 30 open-source white papers and more than 400 articles.
Global Adoption
From supply chain to the United Nations
Starting in outsourcing and supply chain, Vested expands across every vertical. 928 companies adopt the methodology. 48 universities and four industry trade associations teach its principles. The University of Tennessee launches 10 executive education courses. The Vested Way is translated into Spanish, French, and Slovenian. Like Lean and Six Sigma before it, Vested becomes a movement that redefines how business relationships work.
2025
Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea of 2025
Vested® is named a Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea — one of the most prestigious recognitions in global business thought leadership. The methodology that started with a simple question in 2003 and a name Elizabeth coined is now recognized alongside the most important ideas shaping modern business.
— By the Numbers
16 years in. The data tells a powerful story.
928
Companies Practicing Vested®
13K+
People Trained Worldwide
5,200
Completed Paid Courses
7,800+
Completed Free Courses
197
Certified Deal Architects
162
Initiatives Completed
231
Compatibility & Trust Assessments
24
Formal Case Studies
— The books
9 books. 400+ articles. A global methodology.
The first book was published in February 2010, launching what would become an annual celebration of the Vested movement’s birthday. Nine books have followed, along with 30 open-source white papers and more than 400 articles — four of them in Harvard Business Review.
The Vested Way is now available in Spanish, French, and Slovenian — carrying the methodology to new markets and new languages, exactly as the adoption strategy Elizabeth built was designed to do.
“Like the cell phone, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and Agile, disruptive ideas take time to gain traction. Sixteen years in, the data tells a powerful story.”
Thinkers50 · 2025
Breakthrough Idea of 2025. Recognized alongside the most important ideas shaping modern business.
Harvard Business Review
4 articles published on Vested methodology, reaching millions of business leaders worldwide.
University of Tennessee
10 executive education courses — 7 online, 2 live, 1 distance learning. The academic engine behind the movement.
Academic Reach
48 universities and 4 industry trade associations now teach some or all of the Vested principles.
Case Studies
24 formal case studies from 46 organizations. Another 37 organizations publicly sharing their success stories.
Ready to build the next movement?
Elizabeth brings the same naming, branding, and market adoption strategy to your bold idea.