How it works

How it works

Understanding Culture Mapping

What it is:

  • A continuous process improvement framework leveraging design thinking to unlock interpersonal insights with agile project management principles to drive deliberate action
  • A far more effective methodology than the DEOCS and other survey-based tools because of its ability to diagnose an organization’s shared values, behaviors, beliefs, processes, and assumptions with emphasis on organizational development

What it’s not:

  • Not a venting session to make people feel better
  • Not just for team’s in crisis. Culture Mapping is an effective tool for moving teams out of crisis and elevating high performing teams to even higher levels
  • Not just for quality of life improvement. At its core, Culture Mapping is about maximizing performance and improving processes

6-Month Project Nomad Continuous Process Improvement Cycle
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Stop relying on surveys to understand your organization

0. Consultation Call

Determine the following:

  • What service package is the best fit
  • Statistically significant sample size
  • Required number of facilitators
  • Estimated number of Culture Mapping sessions
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Stop relying on surveys to understand your people

1. Virtual Facilitator Training

Find facilitators from outside teams or units to facilitate organization culture mapping sessions for your team.

Facilitators should:

  • Not be within the same chain-of-command as the team participating in the Culture Mapping session
  • Have no rank requirements
  • Have higher levels of Emotional Intelligence
  • Complete 4-hour virtual training

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Apply Human-Centered Systems Thinking to elevate your organization

2. Culture Mapping

Schedule and facilitate culture mapping sessions for all teams and rank tiers until the required statistically significant sample size is met.

Note: Part 1 and Part 2 below repeat for each individual Culture Mapping session and combined last about 2-hours.

Culture Mapping phases include:

Part 1: Survey (facilitator)

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Participants are provided a QR code by the facilitator at the culture mapping session to complete a short 15-minute survey


Part 2: Session (facilitator)

After the survey is complete, the facilitator then runs the culture mapping session using the Workplace Culture Canvas


Part 3: Post-Analytics (Project Nomad Team)

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Once all culture mapping sessions are complete and the data is sent back to the Nomad team, Culture Map Reports are built for each team within the organization


Example: Culture Mapping Session Findings


Initial Airmen Session

Initial NCO Session

Example: Culture Mapping Reporting


Cultural States Graph by Project Nomad

Project Nomad Organizational Culture Levels

Aggregated Culture Mapping Findings
Aggregated Airmen Leadership Qualities
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Drive meaningful change using your Culture Map Report

3. Cultural Leadership Workshop

Option 1: 4-Hour Workshop Blueprint

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Project Nomad provides a customizable blueprint units can use to turn the results from the Culture Map Report into actionable objectives so that positive changes can be made


Option 2: Nomad-Facilitated Workshop

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At the unit’s expense, a Project Nomad Facilitator can TDY out to their location and facilitate a 2-day Cultural leadership workshop using the hero’s journey framework


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Continue to develop your culture between Culture Mapping cycles

4. Agile Culture Management

The Culture Mapping continuous process improvement cycle is recommended every six-months for organizations with less than 1,200 members. Larger organizations are recommended to run culture maps annually. Because leaders need to maintain a pulse on their organization’s culture, the following practices are recommended after the initial Culture Map Report:

Project Sprints

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Culture is complicated and minimal viable products achieved using project sprints can help determine if solutions are working before expending excessive amounts of time and energy


Cultural KPIs

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Deliberately managing your organization’s culture is key and Key Performance Indicators aligned with you Culture Map Report will keep your team on track


Weekly Pulse Surveys

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Pulse surveys are micro surveys with no more than 4-questions that are taken weekly and change each time so that large amounts of data can me measured over a period of time


projectnomadculture@gmail.com