Map-Territory Relation
Models, dashboards, plans and metrics are maps; reality is the territory. Treating the map as the thing — reifying a KPI, a persona, a forecast — is how organisations steer confidently into walls.
An everyday example
An 'engagement score' managed for three quarters while actual customers quietly stopped renewing.
What it can cost you
Managing the abstraction instead of the thing; being shown a map drawn by someone with an interest.
Warning signs
- I manage the metric, not the outcome.
- The abstraction has become the reality in our conversations.
One thing to do
Periodically go to the territory: talk to the customer, walk the floor, read the raw data. Ask what the map leaves out.
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