Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Maps and Topographical Intelligence
Summary
On writing the Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien quipped “I wisely started with a map”. In this discussion with Simon Wardley of the Leading Edge Forum, we looked at the subject of maps and topographical intelligence and whether they apply to business. We discussed what is a map, how to build one, and why do they matter, after which we focused on doctrine and core principles of organization—namely why this is no such thing as one size fits all culture, and how to cope with constant change by organizing with maps through pioneers, settlers and town planners.
Key Insights
-
•
Situational awareness is central to effective business strategy but is rarely understood outside military contexts.
-
•
Most corporate strategies resemble random buzzword combinations rather than grounded plans.
-
•
True maps require an anchor, meaning in space, and defined movement to convey situational understanding.
-
•
Stories and frameworks like SWOT lack spatial meaning and lead to poor strategy clarity.
-
•
Mapping business components anchored by customer needs reveals evolutionary stages from genesis to commodity.
-
•
Evolutionary patterns explain why one-size-fits-all methods fail and guide appropriate method selection.
-
•
Economic inertia from prior investments heavily influences the pace and success of strategic change.
-
•
The 'innovate, leverage, commoditize' model drives ecosystems by turning proprietary components into public utilities enabling external innovation.
-
•
Doctrines like transparency and challenging assumptions facilitate better strategy conversations in executive teams.
-
•
Co-creation in mapping strategy is essential; only domain insiders can create meaningful strategy maps effectively.
Notable Quotes
"Very few people in business are able to understand or familiar with the concept of situational awareness unless they served in the military."
"I was literally making up our strategy even though the company was profitable and growing."
"Strategy as a service: you just type in a URL and it will generate a strategy based on nothing whatsoever."
"If I don’t have a map, I can’t see the landscape, I can’t see the patterns impacting it, and I’m left only with purpose and blind action."
"Space has meaning in a map — moving components changes the map's meaning, unlike diagrams where space is arbitrary."
"There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all methods; what works depends on the component’s evolutionary stage."
"The Red Queen effect means you have no choice but to adapt as others evolve faster."
"Political capital is critical; good strategy without support will be crushed in large organizations."
"Only people who work intimately in a space can effectively map that space; outsiders cannot produce useful strategy maps."
"Maps force people to write down and challenge assumptions, improving transparency and strategy robustness."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Craft isn't gonna help you feel more fulfilled, influential or powerful. It cannot meet that need."
Jess GrecoClaiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice
March 13, 2025
"This isn’t about Skynet; it’s about simple signals of awareness that adapt to immediate context."
Josh Clark Veronika KindredSentient Scenes and Radically Adaptive Experiences
June 11, 2025
"It's almost impossible to do a survey without using some kind of tool nowadays."
Aleksandra Korczynska Caroline Jarrett Justyna ParmeeSurvey Tools
March 12, 2026
"We consolidated over ten tools into one supply chain management system with a user-led team of 4 UXers, 2 product managers, and 6 engineers."
Anat Fintzi Rachel MinnicksDelivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
June 9, 2022
"We often use radio buttons when check boxes or sliders would reveal the truth."
Peter MorvilleThe Architecture of Understanding
May 13, 2015
"The great gift of AI is not magic but giving access to parts of the computer that used to take weeks or months to fiddle with."
Paul FordNew work, new words: A glossary for AI
June 9, 2026
"I’m regularly pleasantly surprised by not having to explain a lot of the foundational concepts of design when working with others inside government."
Ariel KennanTheme Two Intro
November 17, 2022
"Car owners actually keep their cars longer now because they get new features and UI updates over the years remotely."
James RamptonThe Basics of Automotive UX & Why Phones Are a Part of That Future
July 25, 2024
"Qualitative research is excellent for discovering needs but poor at quantifying their scale or priority."
Michaela MoraAdvanced Concept Testing Approaches To Guide Product Development and Business Decisions
March 11, 2022
