Personal Maps
The Personal Map is a Management 3.0 practice that can be of great help when you join a new team or when a team is starting to get to know each other since through this dynamic we will meet the members of our team, we will know their names or how they like that we refer to them and the interests that each one has. I used Personal Maps for the first time at the beginning of a project to integrate a work team for the first time, I decided to use it to make the integration as effective as possible since it had to be virtual, so I needed an attractive way and very visual to facilitate the dynamics and get to know the team, their interests and to focus the attention of the other members to the person who was exhibiting. The way people responded on that occasion was very funny since when talking about topics as diverse as work and hobbies, they make a very good combination, as well as getting out of the routine since each member of the team chooses what it is and what you would like to discuss with others. One learning obtained for me as a facilitator of this practice was to co-create pleasant environments for collaboration that can make communication flow better between the team.
The excellent team with whom I facilitated Personal Maps for the first time was a digital transformation project that lasted 11 months with a very good result when installed. This team was recognized in a good way in strategic meetings for the success in the realization and deployment of the tool made. In my point of view, having a harmonious and trusting environment in the work team facilitates the adoption of good work practices and the fulfillment of objectives and I do not doubt that applying Management 3.0 techniques is an excellent start.
The practice is done in the following way; Each team member makes his personal map to present to other people. There is no mandatory data to fill out, rather each person has the freedom to select and capture what he wants to share with the team members. How Personal Maps can be made can be as simple as drawing it on a sheet of paper or we can use collaboration tools to place images and make the dynamics more fun and interesting and above all we will give the team the confidence to express themselves and talk to the other members of the team. Everyone must participate in carrying out the dynamics actively, that is, opening a time for questions after the presentation of each person on the team.
In my experience, this dynamic is very fun and interesting, since, in addition to meeting the members of your team, you will know their interests and if there are things you have in common to not only talk about work and to be able to start different conversations to create links with people and co-create a harmonious work environment in which the team can carry out its activities and collaborate more effectively. From my point of view, the key to be able to carry out this practice is the preparation of the environment where it will be carried out, that is, that the maps are visual, that everyone can see their work and that of other people, also, to actively listening and allow everyone to express themselves.
Without a doubt, it is the quintessential practice to meet our team through Management 3.0. In my case, I facilitated the use of Personal Map through MURAL, having a very fun and visual result with the incorporation of images, for which I highly recommend using it in a tool in which everyone can visualize the results. For subsequent applications of this practice, I will do it again in a tool like MURAL but I will try to do it entirely with images to make it even more visual and encourage dialogue between the team through the same images.
