Visual Strategy: Strategy Mapping for Public and Nonprofit Organizations

THE WORKBOOK FOR MAKING STRATEGIC PLANNING MORE EFFECTIVE Visual Strategy clearly helps users chart the journey from hopeful vision to effective action. The approach integrates strategic thinking and visual understanding, with each reinforcing the other. The result of using strategy mapping is palpable: a shared vision guiding collective action that makes a demonstrable positive difference. Michael Quinn Patton, author of Utilization–Focused Evaluation and Getting to Maybe: How the World Is Changed ; past President of the American Evaluation Association John Bryson is the go–to resource on strategic planning in public and nonprofit organizations. The mapping techniques illustrated by Bryson and his colleagues in Visual Strategy helped our nonprofit navigate through the great recession and come out on the other side in a stronger position. Every nonprofit leader should read this book and the associated books by these authors. Jocelyn Hale, Executive Director, The Loft Literary Center; National Arts Strategies CEO Fellow

Key to Icons viii Preface ix Acknowledgments xix The Authors and Illustrator xxi Part 1 Introduction to Strategy Mapping 1 Part 2 The Loft Literary Center’s Experience with Strategy Mapping 27 Part 3 Doing Strategy Mapping (ViSM) 91 Part 4 Facilitating Strategy–Mapping Workshops 163 Resource A Comparing Visual Strategy Mapping with Other Mapping Methods 187 Resource B Mapping Kit 197 Resource C Software Support 199 Resource D Supplemental Reading and Other Resources 203 Glossary 209 References 217

JOHN M. BRYSON is McKnight Presidential Professor of Planning and Public Affairs at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. FRAN ACKERMANN is a Professor of Strategy and Dean of Research and Development at Curtin Business School, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. COLIN EDEN is Vice Dean and Professor of Management Science and Strategic Management in the Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Scotland.