The Impact Map – Your compass in the complex labyrinth of your organization

Why we create complexity in organizations ourselves - and how we can deal with it

Organisations are complex systems. Every organisation is unique, has its own challenges and operates within a specific framework of conditions. What is important to understand is that it is not the systems or processes that make organizations complex - it is us humans. Our decisions, our actions and our communication make an organization complex. This is precisely why we are the ones who should learn to navigate this complex environment.

Ashby's law states that we need a control system that is at least as complex as the problems we face. In other words, if an organisation is to function with all its unpredictable challenges, its control system must be at least as versatile. Complexity trumps complexity. However, this does not mean that we should be increasingly guided by technology, AI and automation. Quite the opposite: an autopilot will not keep us on course. We humans are at the wheel. The human factor makes the difference.

Ingredients for manoeuvring in complexity

To successfully navigate the self-created complexity of organizations, we need a lot of ingredients, e.g:

• Creating an overview and orientation as clear as possible
• Allowing different opinions and adopting different perspectives
• Combining different skills and drawing conclusions together
• Accepting ambiguity and uncertainty and still making courageous decisions.

It is extremely challenging to master all of this. And this is where a tool comes in that was specially developed to support us humans in this complexity: the Impact Map.

The Impact Map - your compass

Think of the Impact Map as a customized compass for your company, department or project. You develop it together with your colleagues, integrate different opinions and take different perspectives into account. It makes the complexity of your working environment visible, understandable and comprehensible without any major technical effort. It helps you tackle the three biggest challenges in managing companies, departments or projects:

• Lack of overview: What resources and skills are available to us and - most importantly - what is their condition?
• Dependencies: How are our activities interlinked and how do they need to be aligned?
• Communication: How can we ensure that our communication is clear enough so that everyone understands and knows what needs to be done?

The Impact Map is therefore one thing above all: practical.

Shared understanding, quick decisions

The Impact Map creates transparency. It makes the state of your organization visible from the perspective of your colleagues and shows where action is needed. This allows you to make faster and better decisions and communicate your decisions clearly and comprehensibly. You can easily map changes in the environment and thus react quickly and flexibly, make strategic decisions and adapt tactical measures.

People at the centre

At the end of the day, we humans are the ones who manage organizations. We are the ones who have to make decisions, communicate, design processes and manage the complexity that we ourselves create. Automation may be useful in many areas, but when it comes to navigating the complexity of organizations, there is no way around us as humans taking the helm.

The Impact Map is a tool that helps us to do just that. It gives us orientation, helps us to recognize connections and improves communication within the team. It does not solve the many problems we encounter. But it does make the management of companies, departments or projects much clearer and more effective.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating

Do you want to gain an overview of the complexity of your company and make better decisions faster? Then start creating your own Impact Map. Take the first step and see for yourself how this simple but effective tool can help you and your team master your challenges. Clarity starts with a good map - and your Impact Map is the key.

By the way - Impact Map is also Denkplan®

The Impact Map is part of Denkplan® and the perfect complement to Lean Portfolio Management, which I have reported on here. Denkplan® is your toolbox for strategy work and is aimed at SMEs that want to involve their employees in pragmatic management from strategy development to operational implementation. Clear, practical and flexible. Discover how Denkplan® can energize your strategic work.