...fifteen minutes of "drawing pictures" can get a clearer picture than two weeks
  of expensive anonymous interviews.

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What is a metaphor map?

My job always begins by finding out "what is really going on" in the group. I have found that fifteen minutes of "drawing pictures" can get a clearer picture than two weeks of expensive anonymous interviews. Even better, the process delivers the "big picture" almost simultaneously to everyone in the group without my interpretation. It is a powerful process. If you want a description of the process check out the article that appeared in the June 1999 Training and Development magazine "Using Art in Training," or the April, 1999 issue of Government Executive "Dangerous Truths."

THE SHIP
"Collaboration between Departments"

Two groups, commanded to share resources, turned quickly into two groups rowing in opposite directions. A perplexed director observing the disaster of a ship ripping apart at the seams asks - "what is going on?"
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OLD GUARD VS ALIENS
"Aliens invade the corporate kingdom"

Fundamental issues separate the old guard and IT, the "aliens." The IT dept is depicted as a UFO behind barbed wire topped by a figure in relaxed pose. The IT guys laughed when they saw this map. They laughed… but they got the message. More...

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P-BOAT
"I'm bailing as fast as I can"

"Our workplace is like a boat that has sprung a leak. We are going down and I'm bailing as fast as I can without much help." Curious, I asked, "Who is the guy on the left?" "That's my boss."
"What is he doing?" More...

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TORNADO
"The progression of a career in leadership"

 I keep threatening to write a book titled "Leadershit." This drawing is a great representation of why! New hires are sucked into the vortex of organizational leadership theories... More...

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THE VICE
"Feeling a little pressure, lately?"

"This is me...getting screwed." (long pause) " but it could be any of us really...because when we aren't getting screwed, we are screwing each other." More...

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