Ecomaps
are diagrams that show economic relationships between different companies and
organizations. They do not give specific information but show an overview of
the direct and indirect effects that a company has over others.
The main
company is in a large, central circle. Other smaller circles are placed on the
page around the central circle, representing related companies.
The type of line drawn between the central
circle and each smaller circle depends on the type of relationship the
companies have. For example, a single line may mean "Very Slightly
Attached" while a double line may mean "Slightly Attached" and a
triple line may mean "Moderately Attached", and so on. A legend is
usually included in order to discern the difference between the lines.
Arrowheads on the lines represent the direction of the flow of influence.
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An Ecomap helps a company to make large
decisions by illustrating what companies or other organizations besides itself
will be affected by that decision. It can also show what companies the target
company is dependent on. Psychologists can also use Ecomaps to visualize the
personal relationships of a client in order to analyze the cause of an issue.
In this case, the central circle may contain a small family tree to illustrate
the client's immediate family.
Best Practices:
Choose a subject: Determine the company or
organization to be analyzed. Place the name of the company in a circle in the
center of the page. A short description may be placed somewhere on the page to
clarify the intent of the Ecomap.
Add branches: Think of all of the companies
or organizations that either influence or are influenced by the company. Place
them in circles around the central circle. Then think of all of the companies
and organizations involved with the ones that affect the central company and
add them, placing them near the company involved.
Specify connection: Use lines to represent
the relationships between companies. As mentioned above, use different line
types for different relationship types, adding a legend to show what each line
type means. It is advisable to use a visibly stronger line (that is, thicker or
being a combination of a higher quantity of parallel smaller lines) to indicate
a stronger relationship.
Specify direction: Use arrowheads to
indicate the direction of influence for each relationship. In some cases the
relationships may be one-way and other cases they may be both.
Specify position: Use a special color or
line shape to indicate an individual or organization that is involved in the
company because they are hired or paid to be. Use another color or line shape
for volunteer organizations or individuals.
Specify involvement: If a group is highly
involved, mark them red. Yellow is for a group that is mildly involved with
you. Blue is for a group that is involved on occasion, and green is for a group
that is involved very little.
Draw conclusions: Use the finished Ecomap
to decide how best to take action.
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