What is a map? A tool that shows you how to get from where you are now, to where you wish to go. When it is shared among a group, the map enables a joint commitment about the route to take.
An impact map applies this same concept to the more abstract notion of a training “journey.” Training clients or sponsors — a CEO, a sales executive, a factory manager — all have a “there” in mind when they express a need and request a training initiative. You — the learning and development leader — have an obligation to tell them not just about the content of your proposed training solution, but to show them exactly how your training program will get them to their “there” – their desired impact. In this article, we share a simple tool you can use to do just that: We call it an impact map.
What is an impact map?
The impact map is a tried and tested, proven tool that has been used by us and by dozens of other L&D professionals in leading companies around the world. Later in this article, we include testimony of four of these impact map devotees to give you a sense of the profound and diverse benefits of impact maps.
Here is an example of an actual impact map created by us for a hotel chain whose “there” goal was to increase customer return-stays. In the hotel business, a major profitability determinant is customers returning to your hotel for future stays; the key to that desired state is providing them with a fully satisfying experience. The training solution for this hotel chain was new on-boarding for each of several employee roles. The impact map we illustrate in Figure 1 is for the front desk representative role.
Some key things to notice about the impact map in Figure 1:
- The impact map provides a “line of sight” to illuminate the alignment of learning and performance improvement objectives with higher level organization goals.
- The impact map explicates the value proposition of the training, revealing that the route to value must wend its way through on-job application of learning.
- The impact map is strategic, not comprehensive; it does not show all learning objectives or possible on-job actions, just those that are most important to achieve results needed.
- The learner’s managers should be able to see that the job performance Key Results are indeed those outcomes for which they are accountable, spurring manager engagement and support.
- Using the impact map in conversations with stakeholders provides a mechanism for collaboration and alignment.
Impact maps vary in the number of columns and in the labeling of columns. But they always reflect the same generic structure, shown in Figure 2: Capabilities, which, when applied in job performance, should lead to expected results. Results are always defined first as immediate job-level outcomes, which in turn are intended to contribute to the organization’s goals. In larger organizations, it may be valuable to add results columns to the impact map to express goals as a sequential hierarchy, such as unit, division, etc., and finally, overall organization goals.
Where and how impact maps are being used today
Impact maps are used broadly and fruitfully by a number of global organizations. Here are some examples from four global L&D leaders that show a range of purposes and benefits.
Engendering senior leader commitment and support: “Impact maps are the starting point for any learning initiative where business outcomes are critical. Because it’s the business’s voice we capture in the map, it builds a sense of ownership and accountability for the success of the learning initiative. When the business feels this accountability, it promotes greater leadership and manager involvement in the learning process- which is a necessary part of the equation to drive behavior change that ensures pay off.”
— Julie Dervin, head of global learning and development, Cargill, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Creating a business-focused L&D culture: “We use impact maps, calling them “Program Performance Paths” as the program foundation document so that our clients can immediately see that we have taken their needs and goals to heart, and are providing them a performance improvement experience tailored specifically to their business context, job roles and organization’s culture and goals. Using the PPP tool forces us in the learning enterprise to keep a business-customer-first focused and disciplined culture in all our efforts.”
— Lina Kiubere, learning and development director, Worldpay from FIS, London.
Focusing impact measurement and training transfer: “The impact map is a central tool for impact evaluation, and for learning design and implementation. It forces us and our internal client to agree on the behavioral applications that are targeted for success. Thus, we know what to measure to assess impact, our designers know what application practice exercises to build into the design, and the managers of the learners know what transfer actions to support and coach. A powerful formula for impact.”
— Maja Kuna-Parrish, learning quality and evaluation manager, International Committee of the Red Cross. Geneva, Switzerland
Building trust in L&D as a valued business partner: “Adopting impact map usage in the Supply Chain L&D organization has shifted the quality of communication and increased the focus on performance improvement. Focusing conversation with the stakeholders on strategic goals, key business results and how behavior changes will drive the key results, demonstrates that the L&D function is a valued business partner. This approach has given my team confidence in engaging with stakeholders and has given our business clients confidence in the value-added partnership from my team.”
— Sivaram Jambunathan, Director Learning & Development Supply Chain, General Mills, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
As we reflect on the many learning leaders with whom we have worked over the years, we are struck by a startling truth: The impact map — just one piece of paper — when adopted for frequent use, drives a sea change in perspective and creates a disciplined methodology for how we conduct the L&D enterprise and interact with L&D stakeholders and clients.
How to create impact maps
Because impact maps clarify and define expectations for learning applications and results across multiple organization levels, they often require interactions with more than one stakeholder, obligating L&D staff to venture outside of the learning function boundaries to interact directly with clients.
Beware: Stakeholder perspective is key. The program sponsor is a critical source for information about the business needs that inspire the need for a learning initiative. They can be relied on to tell you, the L&D provider, what business goals are driving the need. They may not be precisely clear or accurate about which job roles they think should be targeted by the training, so this may take some more business operations investigation on the part of L&D. They will often also be less clear about the specific learning gaps and deficits. In a more organizationally complex setting, it may be necessary to interact with lower-level managers to identify the key KPIs and job performance outcomes that are needed to move the needle on the business goals, and also to identify the critical on-job behaviors needed to drive those job level outcomes. In almost all cases, the impact map will be developed organically and incrementally, morphing as more information is gathered into a clear and accurate definition.
Beware: Self-diagnosis can lead you astray. Since some senior level clients are notorious for thinking they know what learning outcomes are needed, the first column on the impact map should be completed last by the L&D leader, and informed by a good understanding of learning concepts and theory. Accepting a client’s self-diagnosis and self-determined solution can lead both of you astray. You are the L&D professional, and when well done, your professional diagnosis brings value to your stakeholder and ultimately to the organization.
Some impact map rules of thumb
To facilitate clarity of communication, we recommend these proven practices:
- Use the client’s language for column labels. If they call performance outcomes KPIs, then use that label. Use business-speak, not learning-speak.
- The level of specificity and granularity should be such that the impact map fits on one page. If the performance improvement initiative is especially complex, use more than one impact map and break the initiative into chunks, or participants into job-role families. In all cases, be sure the language is simple and straightforward, and font sizes make the map readable.
- Shape the impact maps to show the clear logic and business case for any performance improvement initiative or innovation, not just training. The impact map should help drive clarity, not complexity in your logic.
A final word
Being able to articulate and explain the why of the training, and how it is supposed to work, from learning to on-job application to important results, is a prerequisite for justifying and executing any L&D investment. Thus, our admonition to you: The impact map. Don’t leave your L&D home without it.
Note: Robert Brinkerhoff created the impact map structure in his training evaluation work in the 1980s. The term “impact map” first appeared in print in his 1994 book, The Learning Alliance, (Jossey-Bass), and has been a feature in all his books since. To learn more, contact Mary Steiner.
