Conceptual Management Tools: A Guide to Essential Models für Knowledge Workers

Overview The executive summary briefly explains the nature of conceptual management tools (by providing a working definition) and their application areas. It highlights the main principles behind this kind of tool and points at its limits. Rationale Knowledge work consists of non-routine, complex tasks which involve the use of large quantities of (often incomplete or ambiguous) information, both as inputs and outputs of work processes. Thus, knowledge workers need tools that add value and context to information as they work with it. These tools should reduce complexity through aggregation, organize information through categorization, and make options for action systematically visible. New and old tools Some of these tools, like Cartesian coordinate systems, have been used for a while within the realm of management, while others, like the integration map or the strategic game board, have only been in use for a short period of time. The following definition establishes a common denominator for these traditional and recent 'thinking instruments': Definition A conceptual management tool is a structured, model based way of proceeding to improve the problem solving or decision making process either individually or for a group in an organizational context. A conceptual tool achieves this by providing thought structures, action steps, and representation formats to facilitate convergent (analytical) or divergent (creative) thinking. Review of 34 tools In total, thirty-five such tools will be explained in this paper. Six of them have been invented by the author (OnTrack, Integration Map, Expert Web, Me Map, Personal Information-Portfolio, Synergy Map). All of them rely on the following five principles that make them valuable for knowledge work: Conceptual Principles 1. Categorization: the tools frame issues into terms that separate the essential from the peripheral. 2. Visualization: they transform situations or sequences into graphic forms. 3. Aggregation: they combine many pieces of data into manageable chunks. 4. Elicitation: they provide mechanisms to make implicit knowledge explicit. 5. Guidance: they provide a step-by-step method to gain insights into a problem. Conclusion The thirty-five conceptual tools presented in this paper offer a variety of ways to improve managerial problem solving and decision processes. Although all the presented tools rely on the same five basic principles, their application varies widely with the problem at hand (i.e., convergent versus divergent) and the working context or situation (i.e., individual or team problems). Overview The introduction outlines the rationale, the background, and the goals of conceptual management tools. It presents …