visual-literacy.org: Business

Analysis: Mapping Relationships

Kaplan and Norton invented the Balanced Scorecard and continued their work which led to the concept of what they call "Strategy Maps". Just as you can't manage what you can't measure, say Kaplan and Norton, you can't measure what you can't describe. In their book they say that strategy maps allow organizations to:

• Clarify their strategies and communicate them to all employees.
• Identify the key internal processes that drive strategic success
• Align investments in people, technolgy, and organizational capital for the greatest impact.
• Expose gaps in the strategies and take early corrective actions.

From our perspective the Strategy Map is a first step from tables and lists of indicators. The map helps to understand interrelationships. But compared with other examples we think it is not the best means for communicating a strategy.
What do you think? Where are the pros and cons?