Visual Strategizing: The Systematic Use of Visualization in the Strategic-Planning Process

This article shows how visualization can be used in the strategic-planning process, by examining the use of real-time, interactive visual representations in the business strategy process. Starting with a concise review of literature, we postulate that visualization can improve the quality of the strategic planning process by addressing many of its cognitive, social, and emotional challenges. We develop a conceptual framework for strategy visualization, and use this structure to group and position interactive visual representations of information along the strategic-planning process. We highlight the benefits of visual methods for strategizing, and illustrate them with five case studies covering the entire strategizing process from analysis to implementation. The cases also highlight the use of visualization at different organizational levels, and we consider some of the challenges involved in employing graphic means in strategy work, and how to address them. We highlight resulting risks and practices for visual strategizing and articulate a research agenda for this emergent domain. The key lesson for executives is that visualization should not just be seen as an attractive way to communicate strategic planning process outcomes and monitor its progress, but as a powerful process enabler that can enable strategizing as a joint managerial practice – if facilitated properly. Visualization is, however, a double edged sword and we present several caveats that need to be considered in its application in the strategy context.