This article highlights the benefits and risks of using real-time, interactive visual representations in the business strategy process. Considering all strategy-making stages - analysis, planning, development and implementation - the authors show how visualization can yield cognitive, social and emotional benefits.

The reader is led through five case studies in which the authors have been involved as facilitators, illustrating different visualization genres and methods, including the Strategy chart, the Ruler Interface, the Connectance Network, the Synergy Map and the Balanced Scorecard tree.

They underline the importance of matching the chosen visualization method carefully with the relevant strategy stage, and rehearse the challenges involved in a variety of practises. They show how visualizations can help to reduce groupthink, avoid information overload, surface multiple views and span different phases of the strategy process.
They recommend that visualizations are continually refined and revised, and that multiple techniques are used where appropriate. The key lesson is that visualization is more than an attractive way of communicating and monitoring strategic planning outcomes, but can be a powerful process enabler in making strategizing a joint managerial practice. However, success depends, above all, on skilled and experienced facilitation.

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