How is Causal Mapping used to Capture Information During a Strategic Interview?
During the discussion the interviewee’s comments are recorded by the interviewer on a large piece of paper.
Their statements are written down as they speak and these statements are connected by arrows representing a cause and effect relationship, an example of which is shown.
This process creates what is called a causal (or cognitive) map. There are many advantages of taking notes in this way.
It captures context as well as content. This is extremely important when reviewing the notes at a later date as it adds clarity and understanding.
The interviewer can use this technique to clarify the statements that the interviewee made and engage them in the process. This helps to ensure that they feel that they have been listened to and that their views will be considered and therefore helps to gain their commitment to strategies that are developed during in the process.
In addition, it enables the information that has been collected to be entered into our software system to be combined with the maps from other interviews and analysed to create the strategy model.