Mapping Experiences, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 13. Mapping for the Social Good: Prosperity Beyond Profit

The goal of social innovation is to maximize the satisfaction of all members of the ecosystem with new solutions that will address the needs across the spectrum.

—Sandra Bates, The Social Innovation Imperative

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Mapping in noncommercial contexts
• Shared value: profit with social benefit
• System-level mapping for change
• Evaluating social services
• Collaborative method for mapping for social good

Much of the mapping in this book centers on commercial experiences. But mapping isn’t limited to businesses. We can map any human experience to help teams understand key challenges and identify viable points of intervention.

Take my experience leading a workshop for Hedayah, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) based in Abu Dhabi, focused on countering violent extremism (CVE). The project centered on understanding the experience of ex-violent extremists—called formers—after they disengage from hate groups.

Formers are valuable to CVE efforts. They can hear dog whistles, or encoded messages that appear normal to the general public. They see extremist groups from the inside out. People looking to leave hate groups often confide in formers because they understand what it means to disengage.

My sponsor believed that mapping formers’ experiences would provide insight into how to recruit more of them. A search for “mapping experiences” led them to my work. They invited me to lead a two-day workshop. ...