‘Domainal Map’
(for groups and individuals)
Background
Preparation
Domainal mapping is a way of visualising an individual’s
or a team’s working landscape.
All the action takes place on one board – so
theatrically it’s a one act play!
You can keep it simple or build several layers of
enquiry.
I like to use Neuland people for the first stage, call
cards or ovals for the second and small discs for the
evaluation.
I try to identify at least three levels:
1. Who
2. What
3. How good
So, we are looking for:



the identity of the individuals or groups where
an interaction takes place,
some information about the nature of the
interaction or expectation (which might include
measures and performance indicators) and
some estimate of how effective the interactions
are (traffic light?)
Unlike most Pinpoint this is a facilitated discussion,
rather than a formal ‘track’.
Exercise 1 – The Cast List
Exercise 4 – What Next?
Place the individual or team in the middle of the board,
then, by discussion, plot the people they interact with
around the edge of the board.
In a coaching situation I photograph the board, and
produce a laminated A4 copy whic we can use as a
reference point for future sessions to reflect on the
coaching journey and to measure progress.
You can name individuals, use generic titles, or a
mixture of both.
For individuals, the list often contains friends and
family, where they are affected by work.
The amber and, if there are any, red evaluations are
used as the focus for change/development.
Exercise 2 – What’s Involved
For individuals, this could be through the coaching
dialogue.
Using one or more call cards, record what is expected
from the relationship. Again you can record the hard
stuff, the service required, the reporting levels etc.,
but you can also capture anything around style, and the
‘softer’ skills involved.
Exercise 3 – How’s It Going
Using a traffic light system rate the quality/effectiveness of the relationship
For teams and organisations it can form the basis for
further workshops or discussions.