Abby Covert is a pioneering organizational designer whose Sensemakers guide helps teams turn ambiguity into clear decision pathways. This structured approach to diagramming models combines visual thinking with practical strategy to clarify complex realities.
Mapping becomes a disciplined practice when you follow the Sensemakers guide, enabling groups to surface assumptions, align language, and design interventions that actually stick. The following sections break down the method into actionable directions for practitioners and leaders.
| Model Dimension | Key Question | Typical Artifact | Decision Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensemaking Framework | What stories are people telling about the current state? | Causal loop or influence map | Identifies leverage points for intervention |
| Stakeholder Dynamics | Who has authority, interest, and perceived legitimacy? | Relationship network diagram | Guides engagement and communication strategy |
| Information Flows | Where does data distort, delay, or disappear? | Signal flow or feedback map | Improves insight quality and timing |
| Future Pathways | Which plausible futures are we actively shaping? | Scenario pathways diagram | Supports resilient resource allocation |
Mapping Assumptions with the Sensemakers Guide
The first phase of diagramming with the Sensemakers guide focuses on surfacing hidden assumptions. Teams sketch causal loops around perceived problems, labeling where beliefs drive behavior and where data is missing.
By visualizing these mental models, groups reveal where language diverges and where shared definitions are needed. This step prevents later misalignment because the diagrams make thinking tangible and contestable.
Structuring Stakeholder Influence
Next, practitioners build a stakeholder dynamics map that clarifies power, interest, and legitimacy. The Sensemakers guide prompts consideration of formal authority as well as informal influence networks that often determine outcomes.
These diagrams highlight whose voices are amplified and whose are muted, enabling more deliberate inclusion or mitigation strategies during planning and execution.
Designing for Information Flows and Feedback
Information flow diagrams expose delays, distortions, and bottlenecks in how data moves between teams and systems. The Sensemakers guide couples these maps with feedback loops to anticipate unintended consequences of proposed changes.
When groups see where information degrades, they can design monitoring mechanisms and ownership structures that keep decisions aligned with intent over time.
Scenario Pathways and Resilient Decisions
The final phase of the Sensemakers guide uses diagramming to explore alternative future pathways. Teams co-create scenario maps that link key drivers, critical uncertainties, and strategic options into coherent narratives.
These shared narratives support more resilient decisions because leaders have already rehearsed responses to multiple plausible conditions and identified early warning indicators.
Iterating Diagrams for Long Term Strategic Clarity
Treating each diagram as a living artifact allows organizations to evolve their mental models alongside market and internal shifts. The Sensemakers guide treats diagramming not as a one-off exercise but as an ongoing discipline of collective sensemaking.
- Start each mapping session with a clear decision question and time limit
- Use diverse visual languages so that non-specialists can contribute comfortably
- Document assumptions directly on the diagram to make them testable
- Assign owners for specific map elements to enable accountability
- Reuse and revise maps to track how understanding evolves over time
FAQ
Reader questions
How do I start a diagramming session using the Sensemakers guide with a skeptical executive team?
Begin with a focused problem statement and a time-boxed exercise mapping one critical decision pathway, emphasizing speed and tangible outcomes to demonstrate value quickly.
Can the Sensemakers guide be applied to digital product strategy and not just organizational design?
Yes, the same mapping practices clarify user journeys, system dependencies, and trade-offs, making the guide adaptable to product strategy and digital transformation initiatives.
What common pitfalls should I watch for when converting complex politics into simple diagrams?
Over-simplification and unspoken power dynamics are the main risks; mitigate by validating maps with multiple stakeholders and explicitly labeling assumptions and influence as you diagram.
How frequently should teams revisit and update the diagrams created with the Sensemakers guide?
Review maps at major decision gates, quarterly in fast-moving contexts, or whenever a significant intervention reveals that underlying assumptions have shifted.