Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   for 	
   Organizational 	
   Improvement 

 By 	
   Brian Kelly 

 Challenge 	
    I 	
   lead 	
   a 	
   large 	
   functional 	
   group , 	
   including 	
   more 	
   than 	
   110 	
   people 	
   distributed 	
   across 	
    the 	
   United 	
   States , 	
   Mexico , 	
   the 	
   United 	
   Kingdom , 	
   Poland , 	
   and 	
   India . 	
   I 	
   inherited 	
   a 	
    substantial 	
   portion 	
   of 	
   this 	
   group 	
   with 	
   the 	
   singular 	
   goal 	
   of 	
   improving 	
   its 	
    performance . 	
   Previously , 	
   this 	
   group 	
   had 	
   been 	
   divided 	
   into 	
   five 	
   separate 	
   teams , 	
   each 	
    of 	
   which 	
   was 	
   functioning 	
   below 	
   its 	
   capacity , 	
   disrespected 	
   by 	
   the 	
   organization , 	
   and 	
    experiencing 	
   low 	
   morale . 	
  	
   When 	
   I 	
   inherited 	
   these 	
   functions , 	
   and 	
   was 	
   promoted 	
   to 	
    lead 	
   them , 	
   I 	
   was 	
   concerned 	
   about 	
   two 	
   things . 	
   First , 	
   how 	
   to 	
   determine 	
   and 	
   prioritize 	
    what 	
   problems 	
   the 	
   group 	
   was 	
   struggling 	
   with . 	
   Second , 	
   how 	
   to 	
   implement 	
   solutions 	
    to 	
   these 	
   problems 	
   in 	
   a 	
   manner 	
   that 	
   would 	
   prompt 	
   buy-­‐in 	
   from 	
   the 	
   managers 	
   who 	
    would 	
   need 	
   to 	
   lead 	
   the 	
   changes . 	
  	
  	
   	
    Selection 	
    In 	
   order 	
   to 	
   investigate 	
   the 	
   totality 	
   of 	
   the 	
   group ’s 	
   challenges , 	
   I 	
   devised 	
   a 	
   number 	
   of 	
    qualitative 	
   and 	
   quantitative 	
   research 	
   methods 	
   to 	
   yield 	
   different 	
   kinds 	
   of 	
    information . 	
   These 	
   included : 	
   a ) 	
   organizational 	
   maturity 	
   ratings , 	
   b ) 	
   stakeholder 	
    interviews , 	
   c ) 	
   team 	
   member 	
   interviews , 	
   d ) 	
   employee 	
   satisfaction 	
   surveys , 	
   e ) 	
   work 	
    product 	
   completion 	
   and 	
   satisfaction 	
   surveys , 	
   f ) 	
   capacity 	
   assessments , 	
   g ) 	
   allocation 	
    reports , 	
   h ) 	
   case 	
   studies , 	
   and 	
   i ) 	
   anecdotal 	
   reports 	
   of 	
   successes 	
   and 	
   failures . 	
   Armed 	
    with 	
   so 	
   much 	
   data 	
   – 	
   from 	
   so 	
   many 	
   disparate 	
   sources 	
   – 	
   it 	
   quickly 	
   became 	
    overwhelming 	
   to 	
   make 	
   meaning 	
   of 	
   it 	
   all . 	
   Thus , 	
   I 	
   organized 	
   a 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   activity 	
    to 	
   discern 	
   and 	
   prioritize 	
   themes 	
   for 	
   improvement . 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   is 	
   a 	
   way 	
   of 	
    “ looking 	
   for 	
   patterns 	
   in 	
   the 	
   large 	
   quantity 	
   of 	
   data 	
   you ’ve 	
   collected ” 	
   ( Liedtka 	
   and 	
    Ogilvie , 	
   81 ) . 	
  	
   	
    Application 	
    The 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   activity 	
   was 	
   a 	
   full 	
   day 	
   activity 	
   that 	
   took 	
   place 	
   on 	
   a 	
   Tuesday , 	
   so 	
    that 	
   all 	
   participants 	
   would 	
   have 	
   time 	
   to 	
   fly-­‐in 	
   and 	
   be 	
   rested , 	
   and 	
   was 	
   held 	
   off-­‐site 	
   to 	
    avoid 	
   work-­‐related 	
   distractions . 	
   I 	
   invited 	
   all 	
   directors , 	
   managers , 	
   and 	
   leads 	
   from 	
    within 	
   the 	
   group , 	
   which 	
   totaled 	
   21 	
   people . 	
   I 	
   began 	
   by 	
   creating 	
   a 	
   gallery 	
   that 	
    spanned 	
   three 	
   smaller 	
   rooms . 	
   Every 	
   artifact 	
   was 	
   displayed 	
   in 	
   one 	
   of 	
   the 	
   rooms , 	
    including 	
   both 	
   raw 	
   data 	
   and 	
   summary 	
   reports . 	
   I 	
   divided 	
   the 	
   larger 	
   group 	
   of 	
   21 	
   into 	
    three 	
   smaller 	
   groups 	
   so 	
   that 	
   they 	
   could 	
   more 	
   easily 	
   move 	
   from 	
   room 	
   to 	
   room . 	
   I 	
    began 	
   the 	
   gallery 	
   walk 	
   by 	
   leading 	
   a 	
   general 	
   orientation , 	
   which 	
   was 	
   followed 	
   by 	
   a 	
    one 	
   hour 	
   silent 	
   walk 	
   during 	
   which 	
   participants 	
   noted 	
   themes 	
   and 	
   observations . 	
    Each 	
   group 	
   then 	
   clustered 	
   these 	
   themes 	
   into 	
   key 	
   insights , 	
   which 	
   they 	
   shared 	
   out 	
    with 	
   the 	
   larger 	
   group . 	
   We 	
   then 	
   synthesized 	
   these 	
   into 	
   a 	
   collective 	
   set 	
   of 	
   ten 	
   themes , 	
    and 	
   prioritized 	
   them 	
   into 	
   a 	
   criteria 	
   list 	
   for 	
   improvement . 	
   This 	
   list 	
   was 	
   then 	
   released 	
    to 	
   the 	
   larger 	
   organization 	
   for 	
   working 	
   groups 	
   to 	
   tackle 	
   and 	
   report 	
   on 	
   over 	
   the 	
    upcoming 	
   year . 

 Insight 	
    The 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   exercise 	
   revealed 	
   ten 	
   key 	
   insights 	
   related 	
   to 	
   the 	
   organization ’s 	
    maturity , 	
   processes , 	
   skills , 	
   staffing 	
   allocations , 	
   leadership , 	
   and 	
   output . 	
   One 	
   key 	
    insight , 	
   for 	
   example , 	
   was 	
   that 	
   the 	
   organization 	
   was 	
   understaffed 	
   relative 	
   to 	
   industry 	
    norms 	
   and 	
   in 	
   a 	
   few 	
   key 	
   areas , 	
   including 	
   visual 	
   design 	
   and 	
   traffic 	
   management . 	
    Another 	
   key 	
   insight 	
   was 	
   that 	
   the 	
   team 	
   lacked 	
   transparency 	
   around 	
   how 	
   it 	
    prioritized 	
   projects . 	
   Once 	
   identified , 	
   these 	
   insights 	
   could 	
   be 	
   clearly 	
   articulated , 	
    translated 	
   into 	
   organizational 	
   initiatives , 	
   and 	
   implemented 	
   by 	
   working 	
   groups . 	
   In 	
    addition , 	
   each 	
   “ problematic 	
   insight ” 	
   was 	
   rephrased 	
   as 	
   an 	
   opportunity 	
   statement , 	
    such 	
   as , 	
   “ We 	
   will 	
   create 	
   mechanisms 	
   to 	
   transparently 	
   prioritize 	
   and 	
   report 	
   on 	
    work . ” 	
   These 	
   insights 	
   helped 	
   me 	
   to 	
   realize 	
   the 	
   value 	
   of 	
   design 	
   thinking 	
   in 	
    organizational 	
   design 	
   and 	
   improvement . 	
  	
   	
    Approach 	
    Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   proved 	
   to 	
   be 	
   a 	
   highly 	
   effective 	
   approach 	
   because 	
   it 	
   enabled 	
   us 	
   to 	
   a ) 	
    synthesize 	
   a 	
   large 	
   amount 	
   of 	
   data 	
   very 	
   quickly , 	
   b ) 	
   arrive 	
   at 	
   consensus 	
   around 	
    improvement 	
   criteria , 	
   and 	
   c ) 	
   achieve 	
   employee 	
   buy-­‐in . 	
   Because 	
   these 	
   insights 	
   were 	
    identified 	
   and 	
   prioritized 	
   by 	
   the 	
   team 	
   itself 	
   – 	
   and 	
   not 	
   be 	
   the 	
   senior 	
   leadership 	
   or 	
   a 	
    consulting 	
   group 	
   – 	
   employees 	
   identified 	
   with 	
   the 	
   criteria 	
   and 	
   were 	
   willing 	
   to 	
    volunteer 	
   to 	
   participate 	
   in 	
   working 	
   groups 	
   intended 	
   to 	
   address 	
   each 	
   insight . 	
   In 	
   the 	
    future , 	
   there 	
   are 	
   three 	
   things 	
   I 	
   would 	
   do 	
   differently . 	
   First , 	
   I 	
   would 	
   engage 	
   in 	
   design 	
    thinking 	
   to 	
   establish 	
   the 	
   initial 	
   research 	
   tools 	
   that 	
   would 	
   inform 	
   the 	
   later 	
   Mind 	
    Mapping 	
   activity . 	
   Second , 	
   I 	
   would 	
   include 	
   the 	
   entire 	
   group 	
   – 	
   not 	
   just 	
   the 	
    management 	
   team . 	
   Third , 	
   I 	
   would 	
   spread 	
   the 	
   mind 	
   mapping 	
   activity 	
   over 	
   two 	
   days , 	
    rather 	
   than 	
   trying 	
   to 	
   complete 	
   the 	
   activity 	
   in 	
   just 	
   one 	
   day . 	
   Although 	
   the 	
   Mind 	
    Mapping 	
   workshop 	
   happened 	
   only 	
   a 	
   few 	
   weeks 	
   ago , 	
   it 	
   has 	
   already 	
   improved 	
    employee 	
   morale 	
   and 	
   solved 	
   several 	
   critical 	
   problems . 	
   	
    Works 	
   Cited 	
    Nora Mero 	
   and 	
   Chris Taylor . 	
   Designing 	
   for 	
   Growth : 	
   A 	
   Design 	
   Thinking 	
   Toolkit 	
   for 

 Managers . 	
   New 	
   York : 	
   Columbia 	
   Business 	
   School 	
   Publishing , 	
   2011 . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Brian Kelly
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   for 	
   Organizational 	
   Improvement 

 By 	
   Brian Kelly 

 Challenge 	
    I 	
   lead 	
   a 	
   large 	
   functional 	
   group , 	
   including 	
   more 	
   than 	
   110 	
   people 	
   distributed 	
   across 	
    the 	
   United 	
   States , 	
   Mexico , 	
   the 	
   United 	
   Kingdom , 	
   Poland , 	
   and 	
   India . 	
   I 	
   inherited 	
   a 	
    substantial 	
   portion 	
   of 	
   this 	
   group 	
   with 	
   the 	
   singular 	
   goal 	
   of 	
   improving 	
   its 	
    performance . 	
   Previously , 	
   this 	
   group 	
   had 	
   been 	
   divided 	
   into 	
   five 	
   separate 	
   teams , 	
   each 	
    of 	
   which 	
   was 	
   functioning 	
   below 	
   its 	
   capacity , 	
   disrespected 	
   by 	
   the 	
   organization , 	
   and 	
    experiencing 	
   low 	
   morale . 	
  	
   When 	
   I 	
   inherited 	
   these 	
   functions , 	
   and 	
   was 	
   promoted 	
   to 	
    lead 	
   them , 	
   I 	
   was 	
   concerned 	
   about 	
   two 	
   things . 	
   First , 	
   how 	
   to 	
   determine 	
   and 	
   prioritize 	
    what 	
   problems 	
   the 	
   group 	
   was 	
   struggling 	
   with . 	
   Second , 	
   how 	
   to 	
   implement 	
   solutions 	
    to 	
   these 	
   problems 	
   in 	
   a 	
   manner 	
   that 	
   would 	
   prompt 	
   buy-­‐in 	
   from 	
   the 	
   managers 	
   who 	
    would 	
   need 	
   to 	
   lead 	
   the 	
   changes . 	
  	
  	
   	
    Selection 	
    In 	
   order 	
   to 	
   investigate 	
   the 	
   totality 	
   of 	
   the 	
   group ’s 	
   challenges , 	
   I 	
   devised 	
   a 	
   number 	
   of 	
    qualitative 	
   and 	
   quantitative 	
   research 	
   methods 	
   to 	
   yield 	
   different 	
   kinds 	
   of 	
    information . 	
   These 	
   included : 	
   a ) 	
   organizational 	
   maturity 	
   ratings , 	
   b ) 	
   stakeholder 	
    interviews , 	
   c ) 	
   team 	
   member 	
   interviews , 	
   d ) 	
   employee 	
   satisfaction 	
   surveys , 	
   e ) 	
   work 	
    product 	
   completion 	
   and 	
   satisfaction 	
   surveys , 	
   f ) 	
   capacity 	
   assessments , 	
   g ) 	
   allocation 	
    reports , 	
   h ) 	
   case 	
   studies , 	
   and 	
   i ) 	
   anecdotal 	
   reports 	
   of 	
   successes 	
   and 	
   failures . 	
   Armed 	
    with 	
   so 	
   much 	
   data 	
   – 	
   from 	
   so 	
   many 	
   disparate 	
   sources 	
   – 	
   it 	
   quickly 	
   became 	
    overwhelming 	
   to 	
   make 	
   meaning 	
   of 	
   it 	
   all . 	
   Thus , 	
   I 	
   organized 	
   a 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   activity 	
    to 	
   discern 	
   and 	
   prioritize 	
   themes 	
   for 	
   improvement . 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   is 	
   a 	
   way 	
   of 	
    “ looking 	
   for 	
   patterns 	
   in 	
   the 	
   large 	
   quantity 	
   of 	
   data 	
   you ’ve 	
   collected ” 	
   ( Liedtka 	
   and 	
    Ogilvie , 	
   81 ) . 	
  	
   	
    Application 	
    The 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   activity 	
   was 	
   a 	
   full 	
   day 	
   activity 	
   that 	
   took 	
   place 	
   on 	
   a 	
   Tuesday , 	
   so 	
    that 	
   all 	
   participants 	
   would 	
   have 	
   time 	
   to 	
   fly-­‐in 	
   and 	
   be 	
   rested , 	
   and 	
   was 	
   held 	
   off-­‐site 	
   to 	
    avoid 	
   work-­‐related 	
   distractions . 	
   I 	
   invited 	
   all 	
   directors , 	
   managers , 	
   and 	
   leads 	
   from 	
    within 	
   the 	
   group , 	
   which 	
   totaled 	
   21 	
   people . 	
   I 	
   began 	
   by 	
   creating 	
   a 	
   gallery 	
   that 	
    spanned 	
   three 	
   smaller 	
   rooms . 	
   Every 	
   artifact 	
   was 	
   displayed 	
   in 	
   one 	
   of 	
   the 	
   rooms , 	
    including 	
   both 	
   raw 	
   data 	
   and 	
   summary 	
   reports . 	
   I 	
   divided 	
   the 	
   larger 	
   group 	
   of 	
   21 	
   into 	
    three 	
   smaller 	
   groups 	
   so 	
   that 	
   they 	
   could 	
   more 	
   easily 	
   move 	
   from 	
   room 	
   to 	
   room . 	
   I 	
    began 	
   the 	
   gallery 	
   walk 	
   by 	
   leading 	
   a 	
   general 	
   orientation , 	
   which 	
   was 	
   followed 	
   by 	
   a 	
    one 	
   hour 	
   silent 	
   walk 	
   during 	
   which 	
   participants 	
   noted 	
   themes 	
   and 	
   observations . 	
    Each 	
   group 	
   then 	
   clustered 	
   these 	
   themes 	
   into 	
   key 	
   insights , 	
   which 	
   they 	
   shared 	
   out 	
    with 	
   the 	
   larger 	
   group . 	
   We 	
   then 	
   synthesized 	
   these 	
   into 	
   a 	
   collective 	
   set 	
   of 	
   ten 	
   themes , 	
    and 	
   prioritized 	
   them 	
   into 	
   a 	
   criteria 	
   list 	
   for 	
   improvement . 	
   This 	
   list 	
   was 	
   then 	
   released 	
    to 	
   the 	
   larger 	
   organization 	
   for 	
   working 	
   groups 	
   to 	
   tackle 	
   and 	
   report 	
   on 	
   over 	
   the 	
    upcoming 	
   year . 

 Insight 	
    The 	
   Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   exercise 	
   revealed 	
   ten 	
   key 	
   insights 	
   related 	
   to 	
   the 	
   organization ’s 	
    maturity , 	
   processes , 	
   skills , 	
   staffing 	
   allocations , 	
   leadership , 	
   and 	
   output . 	
   One 	
   key 	
    insight , 	
   for 	
   example , 	
   was 	
   that 	
   the 	
   organization 	
   was 	
   understaffed 	
   relative 	
   to 	
   industry 	
    norms 	
   and 	
   in 	
   a 	
   few 	
   key 	
   areas , 	
   including 	
   visual 	
   design 	
   and 	
   traffic 	
   management . 	
    Another 	
   key 	
   insight 	
   was 	
   that 	
   the 	
   team 	
   lacked 	
   transparency 	
   around 	
   how 	
   it 	
    prioritized 	
   projects . 	
   Once 	
   identified , 	
   these 	
   insights 	
   could 	
   be 	
   clearly 	
   articulated , 	
    translated 	
   into 	
   organizational 	
   initiatives , 	
   and 	
   implemented 	
   by 	
   working 	
   groups . 	
   In 	
    addition , 	
   each 	
   “ problematic 	
   insight ” 	
   was 	
   rephrased 	
   as 	
   an 	
   opportunity 	
   statement , 	
    such 	
   as , 	
   “ We 	
   will 	
   create 	
   mechanisms 	
   to 	
   transparently 	
   prioritize 	
   and 	
   report 	
   on 	
    work . ” 	
   These 	
   insights 	
   helped 	
   me 	
   to 	
   realize 	
   the 	
   value 	
   of 	
   design 	
   thinking 	
   in 	
    organizational 	
   design 	
   and 	
   improvement . 	
  	
   	
    Approach 	
    Mind 	
   Mapping 	
   proved 	
   to 	
   be 	
   a 	
   highly 	
   effective 	
   approach 	
   because 	
   it 	
   enabled 	
   us 	
   to 	
   a ) 	
    synthesize 	
   a 	
   large 	
   amount 	
   of 	
   data 	
   very 	
   quickly , 	
   b ) 	
   arrive 	
   at 	
   consensus 	
   around 	
    improvement 	
   criteria , 	
   and 	
   c ) 	
   achieve 	
   employee 	
   buy-­‐in . 	
   Because 	
   these 	
   insights 	
   were 	
    identified 	
   and 	
   prioritized 	
   by 	
   the 	
   team 	
   itself 	
   – 	
   and 	
   not 	
   be 	
   the 	
   senior 	
   leadership 	
   or 	
   a 	
    consulting 	
   group 	
   – 	
   employees 	
   identified 	
   with 	
   the 	
   criteria 	
   and 	
   were 	
   willing 	
   to 	
    volunteer 	
   to 	
   participate 	
   in 	
   working 	
   groups 	
   intended 	
   to 	
   address 	
   each 	
   insight . 	
   In 	
   the 	
    future , 	
   there 	
   are 	
   three 	
   things 	
   I 	
   would 	
   do 	
   differently . 	
   First , 	
   I 	
   would 	
   engage 	
   in 	
   design 	
    thinking 	
   to 	
   establish 	
   the 	
   initial 	
   research 	
   tools 	
   that 	
   would 	
   inform 	
   the 	
   later 	
   Mind 	
    Mapping 	
   activity . 	
   Second , 	
   I 	
   would 	
   include 	
   the 	
   entire 	
   group 	
   – 	
   not 	
   just 	
   the 	
    management 	
   team . 	
   Third , 	
   I 	
   would 	
   spread 	
   the 	
   mind 	
   mapping 	
   activity 	
   over 	
   two 	
   days , 	
    rather 	
   than 	
   trying 	
   to 	
   complete 	
   the 	
   activity 	
   in 	
   just 	
   one 	
   day . 	
   Although 	
   the 	
   Mind 	
    Mapping 	
   workshop 	
   happened 	
   only 	
   a 	
   few 	
   weeks 	
   ago , 	
   it 	
   has 	
   already 	
   improved 	
    employee 	
   morale 	
   and 	
   solved 	
   several 	
   critical 	
   problems . 	
   	
    Works 	
   Cited 	
    Nora Mero 	
   and 	
   Chris Taylor . 	
   Designing 	
   for 	
   Growth : 	
   A 	
   Design 	
   Thinking 	
   Toolkit 	
   for 

 Managers . 	
   New 	
   York : 	
   Columbia 	
   Business 	
   School 	
   Publishing , 	
   2011 .
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