Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

3. Find the First Cut Affinity
Although it is possible for one person to complete an affinity diagram, all of the benefits are lost
that come from the melding of perspectives, opinions and insights. The team approach is highly
recommended. Look for two cards that seem to be related in some way and group them
together. Look for other cards that either are related to each other or to the original two cards
that were set aside. Repeat this process until all the cards are placed in 6-10 groupings. Do
not force-fit single cards into groupings in which they do not belong. These single cards
(―loners‖) may form their own grouping or never find a ―home‖. Encourage team members not to
―contemplate‖ but to ―react‖ to what they see.
Many managers would like to mentally structure all the cards like an oversized chess game.
The only thing left to do is to move the pieces to their appointed spots. In an Affinity, speed
rather than deliberation is the order of the day. Doing an Affinity should be a high-energy
process, not a contemplative exercise. Disagreements over the placement of cards should be
handled simply and undiplomatically: If you don’t like where the card is, move it! Strong
disagreements can be handled through facilitation and consensus building. (This is where using
yellow ―post-it‖ pads can come in handy).
It is critical that the team allows new groupings to emerge from the chaos of the cards. For
the process to work best, members should avoid sorting cards into ―safe‖ known categories.
This pigeonholing will force fit everything into existing logic, preventing breakthrough from
occurring.
4. For each grouping, create summary or header cards using consensus.
Look for a card in each grouping that captures the central idea that ties all the cards together.
This is referred to as a ―header‖ card. The header card should be typed onto the heading line.
In cases where a central idea does not exist (which happens often), a header must be created.
Gather each grouping together with its header at the top of the column.
The headers should be, above all, concise. They should say in one to three words the
essence of each grouping. Think of it as an idea still. Ingredients are thrown into the hopper
and distilled until the powerful stuff remains. The headers should therefore pack a punch that
would be clear to anyone reading it. Imagine that all of the detailed cards under each header
were removed; all that remained were your headers. Would someone who was not a team
member understand the essence and detail of the groups you formed?
To be effective, the leader must now help clearly identify the common thread that ties all of
the cards together. This is a central concept, like ―budgeting‖. However, this is not enough. The
leader must also help the team reflect on the color and texture of the common thread identified.
The header can be a breakthrough idea when it reflects the individual content of the cards as
well as the ―spirit‖ of the grouping. Creating headers is an opportunity to create new twists in
old topics. If the headers sound too familiar, they may deserve another look.
5. Draw a finished affinity diagram.
Draw lines around each grouping, thereby clearly connecting all of the items with the header
card. Related groupings should be placed near each other and connected by lines. Often when
this is done, the user finds that another header card must be created (referred to as a
―superheader‖) that sums up how these two groupings are related to each other. This would be
placed above these two columns and also connected with lines. The final drawing can be done
right on the original sheets or only when the completed diagram has been transferred to another
sheet of paper. It is usually transferred because an Affinity Diagram is often shared with people
outside the team for comments and changes. Remember that it is a reiterative process that
should be changed until it reflects the actual situation and key factors.
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