L Raymond

After applying Metaphor Mapping to complex, high-impact problems in U.N. agencies, European and U.S businesses, I’ve retired.

These retro, analog tools are now on the market!  

 

 

 

Metaphor Mapping

Aligning Native Intelligence

When you make an issue visual and ‘concrete’ with an everyday metaphor,

the familiar becomes strange,  

and the mindset hiding a solution breaks open

 

Workshop participants visualize their solution using sticker images within four metaphors: 

  1. Villages, one for today’s operation and one for the ideal future
  2. A river flows through time,  around waterfalls, avoids swamps, and uncovers gold as it connects the two villages
  3. Jack, Queen, King cards show responsibilities for reaching the ideal village
  4. Wildlife images show village culture, attitudes and energy 

A Metaphor Mapping Workshop IS:

  1. Truth-telling by the owners and doers
  2. Creative collaboration, informed child’s play
  3. Fixes for today’s friction and joint strategies for growth
  4. Accountability

A Metaphor Mapping Workshop IS NOT:

  1. A fun day off
  2. A place for politics
  3. Analysis paralysis
  4. A report on a shelf 

Customers respond enthusiastically to Metaphor Mapping 

  1. They like dealing with reality in a workshop that leaves no room for positioning and theatrics
  2. They like being able to show the true cost of friction and weaknesses along with other process participants, rather than reading consultant reports
  3. They like the creativity and pragmatism generated in an informal atmosphere and peer-peer discussions 
  4. They like hearing all their peers sign up to own the strategy,  and seeing each task clearly owned by a ‘King’

Consulting firms can find new revenue with Metaphor Mapping 

  • A unique differentiator with a track record
  • A novel entry point for quick, lasting solutions for departmental or organization-wide issues 
  • Open dialog in workshops shows further opportunities to learn and help
  • Enthusiastic participants “sell” workshops to the wider organization

                           * You’ve reached the end of the elevator ride*

              If you’re interested to discuss, please use the “To Reach Us” tab.

          **** But there’s further information below if you want more ****

Some of the principles Metaphor Mapping tools draw on:

Elevator pitch 2

Elevator pitch 3

Elevator pitch 4

Metaphor Mapping provides

  • An open/inclusive atmosphere:  for authenticity and dialog
  • Serious-fun: that lightens the work and makes it safe to address charged issues
  • Visual symbols:  for big-picture, systems thinking, intuition as well as reasoning

“When you produce something with another person that is truly creative, its one of the most powerful forms of bonding there is.” Stephen Covey

A quick history of Mapping

This tool has been around for over 30 years but is new to most because it was invented for U.N. groups where lives could be at risk if teams couldn’t bridge cultural divides, align objectives, think collaboratively and commit to joint action. It helped overcome the multiple mother tongues at work in the U.N. because its universally familiar metaphors, symbol language and engaging process make meaning crystal clear and give it forceful, visual impact.

Next, European divisions of US companies used its discipline and speed to help their in-house professionals replace expensive consultants to sales, supply chain and other disciplines– happily avoiding tedious piles of Post-it notes.

Its universal visual language led Metaphor Mapping into global transformation programs, supply chains, TQM, mergers, re-orgs and IT projects.  As it became more known, parent companies and other leaders found it overcomes cross-function gaps, helps avoid flawed strategies and improves execution quality.

It has become the master facilitator’s tool for team alignment– compressing into a single day the type of team learning that led geese to fly in a “V” formation to achieve greater speed with less effort.

Metaphor Mapping

delivers solid thinking and commitment

  1. It’s easy to be authentic,  raise or challenge ideas when building a Map
  2. Stakeholders frame and fill the end-to-end picture:  It’s symbolic, collective mind-mapping
  3. Metaphors promote lateral, fast-slow and systems thinking
  4. Vision and strategy are built together, aligning and committing all team members

Our encouragement to you

Try this U.N.-inspired tool.  You’ll see resistance to change disappear when your team originates or details the goal and strategy.  You’ll avoid  boring workshops and get the results you need.

The moment you start, your team will thank you.

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