Well, it’s been two years since I started this journey and it’s a good time to give you all an update. If you’re interested in change and want to increase your chances of success on major change initiatives, I have some great news.
The journey began in 2013 when Alex Osterwalder asked me to join him at the Business Design Summit in Berlin. I had been working on change initiatives in large organizations for more than 20 years and I felt that organizational culture was by far the biggest “elephant in the room” where change is concerned.
Many failed initiatives were explained as the result of “culture problems” or “resistance to change.” However culture and resistance were seen as fuzzy and vague, and most leaders struggled to understand how they might get a better grasp on these issues.
So I asked Alex if he would help me design a tool that leaders could use to get a better handle on culture and change. Enter the Culture Map.
After two years of testing and iteration, I think we are getting close to a final map that’s ready for release. More than 500 people have joined the Culture Mapping LinkedIn group and many of them are consultants who have been using the map with clients on change initiatives.
So far what we have seen is that
- The Culture Map helps people get insights extremely quickly. A culture mapping session involving 5 or 6 people can be conducted in 1.5 to 3 hours. This includes mapping both the current state and desired state.
- People are getting insights that they were not getting before they used the tool. What I mean by this is that they are getting new information. They had no way to get it before. This is extremely valuable for senior leaders who want to know what is really going on on the front line, when they are not in the room.
- The Culture Map can be used to deliver insights at all levels of organization. It can be used at the team level, the department or functional level, the regional level and the level of the entire company. It can also be used to explore challenges and opportunities at the senior, middle management and front line. Many significant insights can be gleaned by comparing maps made in different areas of the organization.
- The Culture Map can identify major hurdles and challenges before they become costly mistakes. In one session we discovered that a multi-million dollar change initiative had ZERO chance for success without a major overhaul of the incentive system. In another session we discovered an entire department that would be unable to deliver a basic service without significant changes in resource allocation.
Other feedback to date:
“I was amazed at how quickly people opened up and started talking about things they don’t usually talk about. Within five minutes they were sharing insights and ideas with each other.”
“Very clear picture of the actual corporate culture — with huge coincidences across all units and high evidence.”
“High impact on the senior management (real eye opener).”
“Strong basis for following interventions.”
Culture mapping workshop.
Skype conversation with Alex Osterwalder at the latest workshop
Here is the most recent version of the Culture Map:
You can download a PDF version here.
I will continue to update the culture mapping page at davegrayinfo.com, so you will always find the latest stuff there.
You can share your thoughts and feedback with me directly by replying to this email. Or, join the Culture Mapping LinkedIn group and share your thoughts with everyone!
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Dave Gray is the founder of XPLANE, a design consultancy that helps organizations navigate and clarify complexity to create meaningful impact.
