Strategy Mapping: A Basic Guide for Busy Managers and Leaders
Strategy mapping is a simple tool that individual leaders (as well as whole organizations) can use to connect individual effort to higher level corporate goals. Below we describe:
• What strategy mapping is
• Why individual leaders should bother with strategy mapping
• Potential pitfalls of strategy mapping
What is Strategy Mapping?
• A simple technique to connect people’s action to key business drivers.
• Created by Kaplan & Norton of The Balanced Scorecard fame.
• It is the next logical extension of the Balanced Scorecard.
• Several books on strategy mapping have been published by Kaplan & Norton, including: The Strategy Focused Organization (2000); and Strategy Maps (2003)
Why Use Strategy Mapping?
Strategy mapping is a tool that is elegant in its simplicity that can be used by organizations or individual managers.
• Strategy mapping creates a clear line of sight between individual efforts and organizational objectives
• Strategy mapping converts higher level business strategies to operational terms
• Strategy mapping aligns people and action
• Strategy mapping helps put a value on things traditionally viewed as difficult to measure
Potential Pitfalls for Strategy Mapping
Like any other tool, strategy mapping can be used well, or used poorly. Some potential pitfalls to look out for:
• Being unclear about larger organizational goals will cause confusion when strategy mapping. If it isn’t clear at the top of your strategy map, it will only get more unfocused as you progress downwards.
• Not including your people in your strategy mapping exercise. It is a waste of time to create a strategy map without the participation of the people actually doing the work.
• Letting strategy mapping (or the Balanced Scorecard) take on a life of its own. Tools need to be used wisely, and not become more important than the work they are supposed to facilitate or clarify.
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