Corporate Training Magazine

Mapping Your Corporate Path - Past, Present and Future
Vol 1 Issue 1 - Sept 2005

By Mark Robbins

With each day's tasks and challenges, it's easy to get lost in the details and lose sight of the big picture the path that led you to where you are today and the vision of the company's desired future. This "corporate road trip" is much easier to navigate when you're guided by a clear sense of purpose towards a larger goal.

According to artist and corporate cartographer Lisa Strecko, corporate success is about more than revenues and balance sheets. It's about the people that brought about the results, and the events and milestones along the way.

"It's important to remember the company, demonstrate how it handles challenges and change, show how it grows, expands and adapts to its business environment, and most importantly, acknowledge and celebrate the company's successes to fuel future growth and sustenance," reported Strecko.

Traditionally, companies have relied on vision and mission statements to ensure management and employees maintain their focus on organizational goals. The drawback is that many mission statements end up in policy manuals or as plaques on walls. Yet as the company grows, the original message can lose its integrity and significance over time. Unless it reflects the dynamic of the company, it becomes inflexible and loses the momentum of the original meaning. To overcome this, a new alternative is needed.

Strecko sees corporate mapping as 'the next generation of mission statements'. "A corporate map acts as a wellspring and captures the energy, time, focus and attention invested. It raises the company's perception of itself and its people to a greater level of understanding and appreciation. And in the end, it's about enjoying and finding purpose in our work lives," she stated.

About Corporate Mapping
A corporate map captures and presents the company's story on canvas as a celebration of the significant events, accomplishments, memories and employee contributions.

Strecko explained, "It's important to capture the company on many levels and to show it as a cohesive whole. A corporate map simultaneously offers the overview of the company, and details to which individuals can relate. It gives equal importance to all levels of personnel within an organization, in the sense that all act in an essential role in the collective well-being of the company."

A corporate map also identifies and illustrates patterns in how different aspects of a company are interconnected. Some of these key aspects include: organizational structure, goals and vision, company history, personnel, products and services, awards and distinctions, employee and management contributions, communication channels, and milestones. These aspects can be separated to illustrate the two sides of an organization the public side and the inner mechanisms.

Strecko added that corporate mapping is a means of shifting perceptions both internal and external and showing alternatives and potential. "As a diagnostic tool, it helps to align corporate values and objectives with employees, customers and clients. It shows what the goals and visions are for the company, and can even incorporate specific target dates and timelines for achieving these goals.

"The maps also demonstrate management's respect for its employees and their contribution to the success of the organization. This show of respect can be quite invigorating for employees and the company as a whole, creating a greater sense of openness and stimulating creative thinking and generating new ideas," she noted.

As part of the preparation process, Strecko conducts on-site interviews with a cross-section of management and employees to create a clear picture of the organization from a variety of perspectives. "The dynamic of a company is every bit as different as the personalities of the people within it, and it's important to include their perspectives to paint a complete picture of the company's story," she explained.

The outcome of this interview process is a unique and personalized testament to the company, its people and accomplishments. Said John MacInnes, president of Print Audit, "Our map is more than just a snapshot of where we are today. It documents the history of the company starting from its roots. It reminds us of how we got started, all that we've achieved to get to this point, and the milestones along the way. It also illustrates our goals for the future and points us to where we want to be."

MacInnes also believes that the map has helped his company build morale and a sense of team. "Our people are painted into the map, and everyone is included. This gives them a real feeling of how we value each of our employees as an integral part in the company's overall success past, present and future."

At the centre of Print Audit's map is MacInnes's dog Mojo. "It's quite appropriate, because Mojo's at the centre of our team. He comes in to work every day and brings a lighter atmosphere to the office. He's usually the first one to greet people when they come in, and really lifts the spirits of everyone in the office."

The company has also found that their map has become a great conversation-starter. "Everyone comments on it. When we have clients in the boardroom, they always ask questions about the map. What we've found is that it sets a lighter tone to the meeting rather than being too serious and impersonal. And when we're interviewing new staff members, it shows them just how much we recognize and value the contribution that each of our people makes to the company," said MacInnes.

Creating a Living Document
The reality of business is that change is inevitable and the dynamics of the company evolve over time. Unlike mission statements, which many companies feel they need to carve in stone, a corporate map is a living, breathing document that can be updated to reveal the resiliency of a company in its adaptability and to provide a continuity of movement, change and transition.

MacInnes explained that Strecko comes in twice a year to update Print Audit's map to reflect recent successes, new employees and other changes the company has experienced. "Our business is always evolving, and the ability to update our corporate map allows us to represent that evolution."

And by taking and displaying photographs of the map at each stage in its evolution, the map is transformed into a "movie strip" of the company's history, creating a living and timeless testament.

For more information on corporate mapping, visit www.lisastrecko.com.