How learning maps became popular purveyors of strategic information.

“How do you know where you're going if you don't know where you've been”

― Todd Stocker

I'll kick off my first blog post with something near and dear 

to my heart—the learning map.

Recently my former company Root Learning, sent me a letter 

asking me to stop using a URL domain name "thelearningmap.com" 

for trademark infringement. (little do they know that the domain 

is owned by Axel Meierhoefer, not me).

I HAD designed the site for Axel whom I know. 

I responded to this bullying explaining that the trademarked term 

has fallen into generic use, having been popularized to a 

point where it's been included in other trademarked names such 

as Dynamic Learning Maps, and Collaborative Learning Maps,

and also been incorporated in the language of training 

around the world. 

What I was struck by is that all these companies using the 

term have no idea where the technology originated nor how 

the term came to be in the first place.

So this seems like a logical place to start my blogging adventure.

The learning map was with us way before a RootMap existed—

going back to the early 1980s in Sweden.  It variously was called 

the ARBETSDUK, meaning Work-sheet or Workcloth and Lärduk—

a term which was coined by the Foresight Group much later in 1995 

or so on an attempt to get into the business of maps.

Klas Melander is generally thought of as the originator of the Work 

Cloth, but the antecedents of it go back to a program in the US military

to train soldiers upon return to the US after World War ll.

The first learning maps were born in Sweden when Mellander and a

group of colleagues were hired at SAS Airlines and formed the SAS 

Business Consultants group and around 1983. But the leader of SAS.

Jan Carlzon had previously placed the first shot across the bow 

with his Little Red Book (http://www.slideshare.net/karina_nik/lets-get-in-there-and-fight-by-jan-carlzon-sas that raised awareness of employees' on business issues within SAS 

using metaphoric cartoons in an engaging dialogue with them, very 

personal, It had data, and customer service advice and observations.

Mellander went on to form his first company—LMI for Learning 

Methods International where the true first learning maps were 

employed at SAS, Volvo and SAAB among others.

Meanwhile, The learning map first landed in America in a joint  

venture with Tom Peters Group, SAS Business Consulting Group,

 and Mellander’s LMI on something called “Value for The Customer”. 

Micahel Pieschewski was largely responsible for developing this seminal

 learning map launched in America around 1990. 

Around 1990,  along came Randy Root who had learned of the work 

cloth/lärduk from the Foresight Group in Sweden.  Possibly 

misunderstanding the translation of the word Lärduk he 

termed it “learning map” because he thought, mistakenly, that 

Lärduk meant “learning matte”. He then trademarked this around 1993. 

There are varying accounts of the following but recounts 

what I've been able to piece together in talking with the

 principles. Randy had shoe-horned his way into Göran 

Johansson’s learning map project with Preston Trucking 

who had brought him to America.  Preston was aware and 

impressed with the SAS “The Challenge” project in which Göran 

had been involved. With Göran’s initial architecting of the work, Randy 

who had been charged with the visual part, later took over the entire

 project from Goran who went back to Sweden. Presto!—Root Learning 

was born.

After the learning map was introduced here, in quick succession Paradigm 

Learning launched Discovery Maps as a spinoff , and Applied  

Learning Labs came up with the Knowledge Map and later the Conversation 

Map with the startup of it's sister company, Healthy Interactions, 

dedicated to a single subject—diabetes.

The methodology then traveled back to Europe with Xallax and Dialogbild in Germany, 

and Big Picture Learning in the UK. Downunder, Traniac in South Africa and 

Assured in NewZealnd spun off aspects of learning maps with hybrid 

map approaches that hearken back to the original efforts of the Swedes 

incorporating gaming concepts, workshop components, puzzle exercises, 

competitions, dialog circles, and video.

But the venerable learning map, no matter what its called,  is at the 

heart of all these, because of its low cost, workability, appealing 

application, and effectiveness in reaching the hearts and 

minds of workers.

Bill Hinsch is the original learning map artist in America, and utilizes

 the map as one tool for various visualization methodoigies at 

Learning Visuals, www.learningvisuals.com