Can you see what’s missing on our coffee shop map (attached)?
There’s nothing on the left-hand side, in the uncharted space. In other words, our coffee shop isn’t innovating — not doing anything to stand out from competitors.
Leaders often try to fix this gap in their organisations by simply telling people to “be more innovative.” But if you’ve tried that, you’ll know it rarely works.
That’s because true innovators — people who create something for the first time — are rare. They thrive on uncertainty, trust gut feel, experiment constantly, and treat failure as a source of learning, not defeat.
Who in your organisation has that mindset?
They’re also not just “tech people.” You’ll find them in sales, marketing, operations, HR, even finance. The challenge is to identify them and give them space to explore the undefined, to experiment with the new.
That’s how organisations like Airbnb (link) and the Government of Singapore (link) use the ‘Pioneers–Settlers–Town Planners’ model at the heart of Wardley Mapping.
‘Pioneers’ are your commandos: first in, taking risks, creating the beachhead from which others can advance. They’re few in number, but they open the way for future success.
This model helps organisations get the right people in the right places — using their natural problem solving skills in the right part of the map, helping the organisation adapt faster and outperform rivals.
In the next post, we’ll look at ‘Settlers’ — those who follow the path opened by ‘Pioneers’ — building on what’s been created and turning it into lasting success.
There’s nothing on the left-hand side, in the uncharted space. In other words, our coffee shop isn’t innovating — not doing anything to stand out from competitors.
Leaders often try to fix this gap in their organisations by simply telling people to “be more innovative.” But if you’ve tried that, you’ll know it rarely works.
That’s because true innovators — people who create something for the first time — are rare. They thrive on uncertainty, trust gut feel, experiment constantly, and treat failure as a source of learning, not defeat.
Who in your organisation has that mindset?
They’re also not just “tech people.” You’ll find them in sales, marketing, operations, HR, even finance. The challenge is to identify them and give them space to explore the undefined, to experiment with the new.
That’s how organisations like Airbnb (link) and the Government of Singapore (link) use the ‘Pioneers–Settlers–Town Planners’ model at the heart of Wardley Mapping.
‘Pioneers’ are your commandos: first in, taking risks, creating the beachhead from which others can advance. They’re few in number, but they open the way for future success.
This model helps organisations get the right people in the right places — using their natural problem solving skills in the right part of the map, helping the organisation adapt faster and outperform rivals.
In the next post, we’ll look at ‘Settlers’ — those who follow the path opened by ‘Pioneers’ — building on what’s been created and turning it into lasting success.
