A Strategy Map is a powerful strategic planning tool that helps organizations visualize their entire strategy on a single sheet of paper. It is a diagram that documents the strategic goals being pursued by an organization or management team . The technique of strategy mapping is designed to help a management team explore and discuss the strategy in more detail than they normally would. It helps develop highly effective strategies that can actually be implemented .
A strategy map is a visual representation of an organization’s strategy that shows the cause-and-effect relationship between the components of the strategy . It helps to develop highly effective strategies, communicate them, and align them with the mission, vision, and goals . Strategy maps are not only easier to understand but also open up opportunities for everyone in the organization, from top to bottom, to get more involved during the design process . They are a great language that organizations can use to communicate their strategies, direction, and priorities .
A generic strategy map focuses on four strategic perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Processes, and Learning and Growth . The financial perspective is concerned with the financial objectives of the organization, such as revenue growth, profitability, and cost reduction . The customer perspective is concerned with the customer objectives of the organization, such as customer satisfaction, customer retention, and market share . The internal processes perspective is concerned with the internal processes of the organization, such as operational efficiency, quality, and innovation . The learning and growth perspective is concerned with the learning and growth objectives of the organization, such as employee satisfaction, employee development, and organizational culture .
The strategy map is designed to help a management team explore and discuss the strategy in more detail than they normally would . It helps develop highly effective strategies that can actually be implemented . In addition, strategy maps help those who are involved to develop the mission, vision, and goals, and action plans to address them, as well as understand the challenges they may face during the journey . Strategy maps also help discover strategic issues that are not necessarily obvious, be effective in evaluating organizational vision, mission, goals, strategies, and actions, communicate strategies in an easy-to-understand