Top Experts Recommend Strategy Mapping
Inspiring Interview with John Bryson on the value of Strategy Mapping: “Using Strategic Mapping to Tackle Cross-Boundary Challenges: A Conversation with Prof. John Bryson”
What is strategy management at scale? How can strategy mapping help government executives lead their agencies more effectively? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more on a Special Edition of The Business of Government Hour – A Conversation with Authors with Professor John Bryson author of the IBM Center report, Addressing Complex and Cross-Boundary Challenges in Government: The Value of Strategy Mapping.
At the heart of the InsightFormation approach to strategy management is our own set of proven tools and techniques. Over the past 15 years, we have consistently enhanced and refined the manner in which we facilitate the implementation and use of strategy maps. At first, our strategy mapping tools and techniques were seen as interesting innovations, but over the past few years, strategy mapping has been increasingly recommended by top experts.
We believe strategy mapping will play a significant role in achieving transformational improvements on today’s most complex health and social issues.
In a 2020 report, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) laid out a key need and specific recommendations for addressing the "grand challenges" facing our nation.
The Need:
“Leaders from all levels of government and across sectors need to develop new collaborative mechanisms to mobilize and address issues… that cut across jurisdictional and programmatic boundaries.” (p5)
A Key recommendation:
“Lead agencies would use national strategy maps to create personalized services for each area of opportunity.” (p15)
The footnote for that statement includes a link to a video by Bill Barberg, explaining strategy maps.
“Strategy maps are a well-established tool for effective strategy management. They elevate the discussion from the merits, funding, and impact of individual programs and organizations to the system of intentional changes (the strategic objectives) that are most important for achieving significant and sustainable progress on complex social challenges. This approach helps to prompt teamwork and catalyze innovation around how the strategic objectives can best be accomplished. For an example, see https://vimeo.com/398352113/72ee431c34.” (p15)
New Reports from the IBM Center for the Business of Government
Influential people like Ed DeSeve (who was the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama Administration and oversaw the $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) are pointing to strategy mapping as an important emerging practice. Mr. DeSeve is the Coordinator of the Agile Government Center at the National Academy of Public Administration. He authored a report that was published by the IBM Center for the Business of Government called “The Future of AGILE GOVERNMENT” In that report, he emphasized strategy mapping as one of the important new tools for Agile Government and as key to addressing complex social issues.
In this report, Mr. DeSeve mentions another report that was released in January 2023 which features an InsightFormation client where we are using strategy mapping and InsightVision to help transform the family justice system in Canada.
Here is the link to the 59-page report: “Addressing Complex and Cross-Boundary Challenges in Government: The Value of Strategy Mapping”
If you don't have time to read the entire document, we recommend these sections.
Forward (2 pages) p. 4-5
Executive Summary (2 pages) p. 6-7
Case Study 3 (6 pages) p. 31-36
Leading Strategy Management-at-Scale (2 pages) p. 40-41
Getting Started and Recommendations (3 pages) p. 43-45
Table of Software Tools (skim the 7 pages)
“Most powerful of the strategy mapping software pkgs. reviewed for purposes of strategy implementation”
—From the above report: "Addressing Complex and Cross-Boundary Challenges in Government: The Value of Strategy Mapping", p. 52
Another Case Study of Strategy Mapping: Transforming Child Welfare / Foster Care
This case study shows the value of strategy mapping along with the types of powerful strategies and technologies that InsightFormation helps multi-sector coalitions to adopt.
We have created a video series that tells the story of how strategy maps were used to transform the child welfare and foster care system in Arkansas. This shows the value of strategy mapping and the powerful strategies and technologies that we help multi-sector coalitions to adopt. Click Here to watch the video series.
Evaluation, Strategy Mapping and Social Transformations
Learn more about the case study featured in the above report on strategy mapping by watching the on-demand webinar based on the peer-reviewed article published in 2021 in the Journal of Change Management, "Leading Social Transformations: Creating Public Value and Advancing the Common Good," featuring Michael Quinn Patton and John M. Bryson.
This webinar shares the use of innovative techniques and tools that build on a rich history of strategy management in ways that are designed to significantly improve efforts to achieve collective impact, system change and social transformation.