ABSTRACT
In collaboration with large manufacturing organisations we have developed tools and techniques to improve the communication and management of the strategic knowledge essential to product development. This set of techniques, known collectively as Totemics, can be used to explore product strategies, potential new product concepts, brand identities, and market positions. The process is initiated by using visual metaphors to facilitate cross-functional conversations around the values to be associated with new product concepts. During this exploration images, objects and words are arranged to create a map describing potential product strategies. This ‘totem map’ can be used to transfer values and tacit knowledge between different domains in the organisation, such as engineering and marketing.
