Abstract:
An analysis tool guides the selection of an external agent who will interact with a selected organizational actor. The analysis tool helps to minimize mismatches in personality and behavior between the external agents and actors in the business. The analysis tool also coaches deal external agents on how to successfully interact with the selected organizational actor. As a result, there are fewer misunderstandings about project scope and requirements, there is better communication between individuals, and valuable deals are more frequently closed.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/144,636, filed Jan. 14, 2009 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/184,210, filed Jun. 4, 2009. This application is a Continuation in Part Application of application Ser. No. 12/478,546, filed Jun. 4, 2009. Each of the applications noted above is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This disclosure relates to analyzing and leveraging the influence and behavior of actors within an organization, particularly as it relates to understanding, preparing for and influencing an organization&#39;s decision, selecting the most effective external agents to engage the actors and coaching those external agents in behaviors to which the actors will be open. 
     2. Related Art 
     Modern organizations interact extensively with independent external agents. One example of such an external agent is a consulting company that assembles a deal team to work with the organization to propose, plan, and (ideally) win and implement a project. Regardless of the role that the external agents play, there is typically extensive interaction between many external agents and many actors from the organization. The interaction continues throughout the lifetime of a deal as the external agent and the organization work all aspects of the deal toward a mutually agreeable conclusion. 
     In the past, little guidance was available to help determine which deal team member or other external agent should interact with or build a relationship with specific actors in the organization and the best behavior that can help do that. Choosing the wrong external agent often led to an inability to effectively communicate with the right actors who influence other organizational actors in making decisions, misunderstandings about project scope and requirements, and, ultimately, failure to close and/or complete delivery of valuable deals. Therefore, a need exists to address the problems noted above and others previously experienced. 
     SUMMARY 
     An analysis tool helps determine which external agent should interact with which actor in the organization and understand which actor influences which actor and in what way. The analysis tool helps to understand and leverage the influence relationships that exist in the organization and to use that understanding to minimize mismatches in behavior between the external agents and the organizational actors. As a result, there are fewer misunderstandings about project scope and requirements, there is better communication between individuals, and valuable deals are more frequently closed and/or brought to a mutually agreeable conclusion. 
     Other systems, methods, features and advantages will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The systems and methods may be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
         FIG. 1  shows a core influence mapping that helps to illustrate how organizational actors influence one another. 
         FIG. 2  shows a behavior influence mapping created by transforming the core influence mapping by adding actor behavior specifiers connected to the actors by behavior links. 
         FIG. 3  shows logic that a mapping program may implement to visualize core influence mappings, accept actor behavior specifiers, and transform a core influence mapping into a behavior influence mapping. 
         FIG. 4  shows logic that an agent search program may implement to identify compatible external agents to interact with organizational actors. 
         FIG. 5  shows a behavior mapped influence analysis tool. 
         FIG. 6  shows a behavior coaching matrix. 
         FIG. 7  shows a behavior influence mapping. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a core influence mapping  100  that shows how organizational actors influence one another. In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the core influence mapping  100  includes Holly as the chief technology officer (CTO)  102 . The core influence mapping  100  also shows that within the organization, Jim works in an administrative position  104 , John works in a legal position  106 , and Stephanie works an accounting position  108 . Furthermore, Claire works in a marketing position  110 , Vince works in the records department  112 , and Mary works in the human resources (HR) Department  114 . 
     The individuals identified in  FIG. 1  are examples of actors within an organization. The actors may assume virtually any role related to a specific deal, such as approver, recommender, or influencer, and may fill virtually any position in the organization, from chief executive officer to part-time project assistant. Symbols of various shapes, sizes, and designs may be used to distinguish between positions, importance, decision-making authority, or other characteristics of the roles of actors within the company. 
     The core influence mapping  100  further shows how the actors in the organization influence one another. More specifically, the core influence mapping  100  includes actor influence specifiers selectively connecting the actors to show how one actor influence as another, if at all. For example, the arc  116  shows that Jim directly influences Holly&#39;s decisions.  FIG. 1  also shows that John has two paths of influence to Holly: first, directly to Holly as shown by the arc  118 , and second, and indirectly to Holly through Stephanie, as shown by the arcs  120  and  122 . Actor influence specifiers of various shapes, sizes, and designs may be used to distinguish various levels or strengths of influence between actors in the organization. 
     Additionally, directional indicators may be used to note if an influence is a positive, negative, or neutral influence. Negative influences may arise because, as examples, two people simply do not like each other, because an organizational actor does not like the external agent, or for other reasons.  FIG. 1  shows an example of a positive internal directional indicator  124  and a negative internal directional indicator  126 . The internal indicators illustrate positive, negative, or neutral influence between organizational actors.  FIG. 7 , described below, gives further examples, as well as examples of another type of directional indicator: an external directional indicator. The external directional indicator captures positive, negative, or neutral influence between organizational actors and an external agent (e.g., Consulting Corp. or Dave Smith of Consulting Corp.) or a competitor to the external agent. For example, Claire may have a positive relationship with Consulting Corp, making her a more attractive target to match with an external agent from Consulting Corp. for ultimately influencing Stephanie. The tool described below may take directional indicators into account when selecting a compatible external agent to interact with an organizational actor. It is noted that an external agent may not only refer to a company (e.g., Consulting Corp.), but also may refer to individuals (e.g., specific employees of Consulting Corp.) or other entities that may work with the organization. 
     The core influence mapping  100  helps to identify the actors within an organization and understand how the actors influence one another. The core influence mapping  100  may, of course, be adapted to map any selected organization and any selected actors within the selected organization. However, the core influence mapping  100  does not help determine which external agents should interact with the actors in the organization. Accordingly, the behavior mapped influence analysis tool (“tool”), described in more detail below, transforms the core influence mapping  100  into a behavior influence mapping  200  which does effectively assist with determining which external agents should interact with the organizational actors. 
       FIG. 2  shows a behavior influence mapping  200  that the tool creates by transforming the core influence mapping  100 . More specifically, the tool adds actor behavior specifiers connected to the actors by behavior links. As one example, the behavior influence mapping  200  includes the behavior specifier  202  linked to Holly using the behavior link  206 . The behavior specifier  202 , in this example, specifies a Driver&#39; behavior for Holly. 
     The behavior specifiers may indicate any predetermined selection of behavioral type. In one implementation, the permissible behavioral types are those present in the behavior model  206 . The behavior model  206  includes an ‘Analytic’ behavior  208 , which indicates fact driven and logical analysis; ‘Driver’ behavior  210 , which indicates a result oriented practical approach to problems; ‘Amiable’ behavior  212 , which indicates relationship oriented behavior; and ‘Expressive’ behavior  214 , which indicates a spontaneous and impulsive type of behavior. The permissible behavior types may thereby be determined according to and follow the Social Style Model™ representation of behavior in the suite of products and services available from the TRACOM Group™ company. However, the behavior model  206  may instead employ any other framework for identifying behavior. An example of a suitable framework is a behavioral analysis framework that aids people to better understand and work with others, for example by identifying, classifying, or understanding decision-making and control needs and identifying the behavior that people exhibit when interacting with others. 
     The arrangement of behaviors in the behavior model  206  helps to reveal whether certain types of behaviors are suited to interacting with other types of behaviors. Often, opposite behaviors are not good matches for interaction. Thus, for example, a person exhibiting analytic behavior tends to be a poor match for someone exhibiting expressive behavior. However, individuals exhibiting the same behavior tend to be well matched and are preferential choices for building relationships. Finally, individuals with adjacent behaviors are typically able to interact in a productive or otherwise successful manner. Thus, for example, a first person exhibiting amiable behavior is typically able to successfully interact with a second person exhibiting analytic or expressive behavior. However, the determination to match people with adjacent behaviors may be a secondary or subordinate choice compared to matching people with the same behavior. Though there may be differences in behavior, versatility (described in detail below) can sometimes overcome those differences. In other words, versatile behavior diverse individuals can in many cases successfully work together. 
     The tool assists with the generation of the behavior influence mapping  200 . To that end, the tool may initial generate a user interface  222  that initially displays a rendering of the core influence mapping  100 . The tool may then accept operator input to tag any selected organizational actor with a behavior. 
     In the example shown in  FIG. 2 , the operator has provided a selection input (e.g., a mouse click, voice command, keystroke, or other input) specifying Jim as the selected actor to tag with behavior information. In response to the selection input, the behavior influence mapping tool displays a behavior list  216 . The tool populates the behavior list  216  with the permissible behavior tags for the selected actor. The operator selects a permissible behavior tag for the selected actor from the behavior list  216 . The list  216  may be a drop-down list, radio button set, text entry box, or any other type of selection or data entry mechanism. 
     Continuing the example, in response to operator behavior selections from the list  216 , the tool has tagged Jim with ‘Amiable’ behavior by creating the behavior specifier  224 . The behavior influence mapping tool also creates the behavior link  228  to connect Jim with the behavior specifier  224 . The behavior links may be implemented in many different ways, such as a pointer from (or to) a record containing previously stored information (e.g., identifier and influence specifiers) about a selected actor to (or from) a record containing the behavior and versatility specifiers. As another example, the behavior link may be formed by storing behavior specifiers in a database record containing the previously stored information about the selected actor. 
       FIG. 7  shows a second example of a behavior influence mapping  700  that the tool may create by transforming a core influence mapping. The organizational actors in  FIG. 7  are tagged with Name (e.g., David, Sally), Role in organization (e.g., Vice President, COO), and Role in project decision (e.g., Evaluator, Approver, Influencer).  FIG. 7  shows, among others, a behavior specifier  702  of “Analytic” for David and a positive internal directional indicator  704  between David and Christy.  FIG. 7  also shows an external directional indicator  706  for the external agent&#39;s competitor, and an external directional indicator  708  for the external agent (e.g., Consulting Corp.). 
     Thus, the mapping  700  tracks multiple types of influences that the tool may analyze when determining a compatible external agent to select for interaction with an organizational actor. Suppose, for example that Sally needs to be influenced because of her role as an Approver. Sally has a −1 external directional indicator toward the external agent and a +2 external directional indicator toward the external agent&#39;s competitor. Therefore, it may be difficult to directly influence Sally in favor of Consulting Corp. However, David has a +3 external directional indicator toward the external agent and a positive internal indicator toward Christy, who in turn can strongly influence Sally. Therefore, David may be a good choice for assignment to a specific compatible person from the external agent in an attempt to influence Sally, through Christy, in favor of the external agent. 
     In addition to determining a compatible external agent for any given organizational actor, the tool may also analyze the behavior influence mapping, including the external directional indicators, to assist in determining which organizational actor to target for a match to a given external agent. For example, the tool may first look for organizational actors to match who have the most positive external directional indicators, or the least negative competitor external directional indicators. The tool may further search the behavior influence mapping to find who has positive internal relationship paths to an ultimate decision maker that needs to be influenced (e.g., an organizational actor with an Approver role). Graph searching or other algorithms may perform this analysis, with the organizational actors and their roles forming nodes in the graph, and the internal directional indicators forming edges between nodes, with elements of the graph weighted by the strength of internal or external directional indicators. 
     With regard to determining compatibility with an external agent, the tool may increase or decrease compatibility in relation to increased or decreased external directional indicator strength for the external agent. The tool may further increase or decrease compatibility in relation to decreased or increased external directional indicator strength for the competitor. In other words, the tool may give preference to matches to those organizational actors who view the external agent most favorably, and/or who view the competitor least favorably. However, the tool may also match an external agent to an organizational actor who is not favorable toward the external agent. The tool may make such a match when it is important to focus on organizational actors who need to be persuaded, in contrast to those who already value the organization actor or their offer. 
       FIG. 3  shows logic  300  that a mapping program in the tool may implement to visualize core influence mappings, accept actor behavior specifiers, and transform a core influence mapping into a behavior influence mapping. The mapping program defines or determines already selected actor identifiers ( 302 ). The actor identifiers may be, for example, unique numeric, alphabetic, or alphanumeric strings (e.g., “Holly—CTO”) that specify individuals within an organization. The mapping program also defines or determines already established actor influence specifiers selectively connecting the actor identifiers and that encode influences between organizational actors identified by the actor identifiers ( 304 ). In  FIG. 1 , for example, the arc  116  is a type of actor influence specifier that shows that Jim influences Holly. The actor influence specifiers may take other forms, such as a list of actor identifiers, where each of the actor identifiers specifies an actor that a certain person can influence. 
     The mapping program also defines in computer readable memory an electronic representation of the core influence mapping ( 306 ). In other words, the mapping tool stores a representation of the core influence mapping  100  in memory. The data for the representation stored in memory may include the actor identifiers, the actor influence specifiers, or other data that encodes entities or relationships in the core influence mapping  100 . The mapping program generates on a user interface a rendering of the core influence mapping  100  ( 308 ). As shown in  FIG. 1 , the core influence mapping  100  visualizes that actors within an organization influence one another, according to the actor identifiers and the actor influence specifiers. 
     The mapping program transforms the core influence mapping  100  into a behavior influence mapping  200  by tagging actors with behaviors. In that regard, the mapping program accepts a selection input specifying a selected actor among the organizational actors ( 310 ), displays a behavior list  216  of permissible behavior tags for the selected actor ( 312 ), and accepts a behavior selection from the behavior list  216  ( 314 ). The mapping program then creates an actor behavior specifier for the behavior selection in the core influence mapping  100 . The mapping program creates a behavior link (e.g.,  228 ) from the selected actor to the actor behavior specifier in the behavior influence mapping ( 316 ), thereby transforming the core influence mapping  100  into a behavior influence mapping  200 . 
     The tool also helps to find suitable external agents to interact with actors within an organization. The tool may analyze the structure of the behavior model  206  as part of a compatibility analysis to determine external agents who would be compatible with any given organizational actor. One implementation of the compatibility analysis operates under the following analysis rules: 1) individuals exhibiting opposite behaviors (e.g., Analytic&lt;-&gt;Expressive) should be rejected as matches; 2) individuals exhibiting the same behavior are preferred as highly compatible matches; and 3) individuals with adjacent behaviors (e.g., Amiable&lt;-&gt;Expressive) are compatible, but less preferred than matches with the same behavior. 
     Examples of additional rules include: 4) if an external agent has a negative internal directional indicator for influence toward an organizational actor, then reject the external agent as a match, regardless of behavior; 5) if an external agent has a positive internal directional indicator for influence toward an organizational actor, then increase the determined level of compatibility between the external agent and the organizational actor (e.g., by increasing a compatibility score by a pre-determined amount); 6) increase the determined level of compatibility in relation to the strength of the external directional indicator for the external agent; and 7) decrease the level of compatibility in relation to the strength of the external directional indicator for the competitor of the external agent. 
     In some implementations, the tool considers versatility when determining which external agents are compatible with any selected organizational actor. Versatility may reflect ability or skillfulness in adapting to many different people in many different situations. Versatility is one indication that the external agent and the organizational actor may effectively build a relationship. Versatility may be measured by a versatility score or ranking, such as a numerical or alphabetic ranking. The versatility score for an external agent may be generated by analysis and processing of questions (e.g., behavioral analysis questions) given to, and answers given by, selected individuals who were chosen to answer the questions about the external agent. When the organizational actor is not among the selected individuals, the versatility score may not turn out to be absolutely correct with respect to the organizational actor, but the versatility score nevertheless may serve as a starting point for understanding versatility with respect to the organizational actor and as a reasonable basis for making compatibility decisions based in part on versatility. As one specific example, the versatility of an external agent may be scored in terms of how others see the eternal agent managing their tension level in the relationship on a four level scale from low versatility to high versatility. In one implementation, the following factors may compose the versatility score: Image, 8% of total versatility score, measuring how the individual dresses and how they carry themselves; Presentation, 9% of versatility score, measuring how well an individual communicates and presents; Competence, 48% of versatility score, measuring dependability, perseverance, and flexibility; and Feedback, 35% of versatility score, measuring the ability to understand others rationally and emotionally. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , Holly is a Driver. Assume that a first available external agent, Dan, is an Analytic, and that a second available external agent, Darren, is an Expressive. There is therefore already some level of compatibility between Holly and Dan and between Holly and Darren because their behaviors are adjacent in the behavior model  206 . Assume also that Dan is versatile in terms of behavioral compatibility. The tool may take the versatility into consideration by increasing the assessed level of compatibility determined between Dan and Holly, or by making Dan a more preferred match than Darren. 
     Sufficient versatility may also reveal that otherwise behavior diverse individuals could be compatible and build relationships. Assume that Doug is an available external agent who is Amiable, opposite that of Holly. Ordinarily, the tool would indicate that Doug and Holly should not be matched. However, assume that Doug is versatile and that testing has determined a versatility score or level of 3. The versatility may make Doug a workable match. For example, if Doug&#39;s versatility score exceeded a matching threshold (e.g., level 3 versatility or above), then the tool may recommend matching Doug and Holly, but may further indicate that Doug is a less preferred match than Dan or Darren due to the fundamental opposing behavior of Doug and Holly. 
     The level of compatibility may be expressed in many different ways, both abstract (e.g., low, medium, high) and concrete (e.g., a numerical score). For example, a scoring model may assign an external agent with a matching behavior a compatibility score of 20, and may assign an external agent with an adjacent behavior a compatibility score of 10. The scoring model may also reward external agent versatility by increasing the compatibility score according to the strength of that versatility (e.g., level 1: increase 1 point, level 2: increase 4 points, level 3: increase 6 points, level 4: increase 8 points). 
     The scoring model may also assign a base compatibility score of 0 (zero) to an external agent with opposing behavior to a selected organizational actor. The tool may increase the base compatibility score as a function of the external agent versatility score (e.g., level 1: increase by 1, level 2: increase by 2, level 3: increase by 5, level 4: increase by 8). Thus, as the external agent exhibits greater versatility, the tool may further increase the compatibility score. The tool may cap the resulting compatibility score below the other scores explained above, to indicate that such a match is not preferred, but might be attempted in the right situations (e.g., no other external agent is available). 
     An agent search program executing in the tool may implement the compatibility analysis rules explained above. In particular,  FIG. 4  shows logic  400  that the agent search program may implement to identify compatible external agents to interact with a selected organizational actor. The agent search program searches an agent database to determine external agent identifiers that specify available external agents ( 402 ). The agent search program also searches the agent database to determine external agent behavior and versatility specifiers assigned to the available external agents ( 404 ). The agent database may be preconfigured to include the agent identifiers, behaviors, and versatility specifiers for any particular external agents or specific deal teams of external agents assembled to work with any particular organization. 
     The agent search program initiates a compatibility analysis of the actor behavior specifier for the selected actor with the external agent member behavior and versatility specifiers ( 406 ). In particular, the agent search program determines whether any external agents have identical behavior compared with any selected actor in the organization. If so, the agent search program identifies the external agent as a preferred compatible external agent ( 408 ). As explained above, the agent search program may assign a compatibility score indicative of the level of compatibility found between the external agents and the selected actor. 
     Continuing the analysis, the agent search program may also determine whether any external agents have behavior that is adjacent to the behavior of the selected actor. If so, those external agents may be identified as secondarily compatible external agents ( 410 ). Furthermore, if either the external agent has versatility, then the agent search program may increase the level of compatibility found for the external agent and the selected actor ( 412 ). 
     It may also be the case that the external agent has opposing behavior to the selected actor. Opposing behavior may result in immediately rejecting the external agent as non-compatible ( 414 ). However, in some implementations of the tool, when the external agent has versatility, then the agent search program may identify the external agent as a compatible (though possibly non-preferred) selection to interact with the selected actor ( 416 ). 
     Furthermore, the agent search program may analyze external and internal influence directional indicators and apply them to the analysis of whether an external agent is compatible ( 417 ) (or which organizational actor to select to influence). For example, the agent search program may apply the analysis rules 4), 5), 6), and 7) noted above. Accordingly, even when an external agent has compatible behavior with respect to an organizational actor, the agent search program may nevertheless reject the external agent as a compatible external agent, when the direction of influence is negative or adverse between the external agent and the organizational actor. On the other hand, the agent search program may further increase the level of determined compatibility when the direction of influence is positive. As another example, the agent search program may attempt to match external agents to those organizational actors with the most positive external indicators, the least negative competitor external indicators, or any combination thereof. 
     The analysis described above is well suited for the behavior model  206 . The behavior model  206  may be further subdivided into more finely grained behaviors. For example, each behavior may be subdivided into four subcategories of behavior, determined by the underlying analysis factors gathered when the behavior analysis was performed. However, any other behavior analysis on any other behavior model  206  may be implemented and analyzed instead ( 418 ), and may give rise to additional, fewer, or different behavior compatibility rules. 
     Once the agent search program has completed the analysis, the agent search program may display a list (e.g., a score ranked list) of compatible external agents to interact with the selected actor ( 420 ). The compatibility scores assigned to the external agents may also be displayed with each compatible external agent. The agent search program may also display those external agents who were rejected as incompatible because of opposing behavior, unavailability, or for other reasons. 
     In addition, the agent search program may retrieve and display coaching information ( 422 ). To that end, the agent search program may search a coaching database as described in detail below to locate coaching information relevant to the selected organizational actor, relevant to the compatible external agent behavior, or both. The agent search program may display the coaching information on a user interface to provide helpful information about how to interact with individuals who have specific behaviors. 
       FIG. 5  shows one example of a particular machine that implements a behavior mapped influence analysis tool  500  (“tool  500 ”). The tool  500  includes a processor  502 , a memory  504 , and a display  506 . The tool  500  also includes an agent database  508  and an actor database  510 . The agent database  508  stores sets of records that characterize the external agents. To that end, the agent database  508  may store an agent record  509  for each external agent including, as examples, the fields described below in Table 1. 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Field 
                 Description 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Agent Member ID (512) 
                 An identifier of the external agent, e.g., a 
               
               
                   
                 name or employee number 
               
               
                 Deal Team IDs (514) 
                 An identifier of one or more specific 
               
               
                   
                 deal teams that the external agent belongs to, 
               
               
                   
                 e.g., ACME Company 
               
               
                   
                 Network Consulting Deal 
               
               
                 Agent Member Assignment 
                 An indicator of whether the external 
               
               
                 (516) 
                 agent is available to be assigned, or is 
               
               
                   
                 already assigned to another task 
               
               
                 External Agent Behavior 
                 An identifier of the external agent&#39;s 
               
               
                 Specifier (518) 
                 behavior, e.g., Analytic 
               
               
                 External Agent Versatility 
                 The external agent&#39;s versatility score or 
               
               
                 Score (520) 
                 level, e.g., ‘level 3’, ‘Z’, ‘Strong’, or 75 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The actor database  510  stores sets of records that define the actors within the organization being targeted by the deal team. The actor database  510  may store an actor record  511  for each actor including, as examples, the fields described below in Table 2. 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Field 
                 Description 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Actor ID (524) 
                 An identifier of the organizational actor, e.g., 
               
               
                   
                 a name or employee number 
               
               
                 Role ID (526) 
                 An identifier of the role played within 
               
               
                   
                 the organization by the actor, e.g., 
               
               
                   
                 CTO. 
               
               
                 Actor Member Behavior 
                 An identifier of the actor&#39;s behavior, 
               
               
                 Specifier (528) 
                 e.g., Amiable 
               
               
                 Actor Influence Specifiers 
                 Specifiers of which other actors within 
               
               
                 (530) 
                 the organization this actor can 
               
               
                   
                 influence, e.g., Holly and Jim). 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The databases  508  and  510  may be implemented in many different ways and may include additional, fewer, or different fields depending upon the particular design of the tool  500 , the behavior model, and the rules for determining compatible behaviors. 
     The processor  502  executes the program instructions of the mapping program  532  and the agent search program  534 . The program instructions of the agent search program  534  may implement the logic described with respect to  FIG. 4 . The agent search program  534  may follow any desired scoring model  554 , such as the scoring model described above, to determine compatibility scores for external agents. The agent search program  534  may display compatible external agents and non-compatible external agents on the user interface. 
       FIG. 5  shows, for example, that the agent search program  534  has generated a compatibility list  556  on the display  506 . The compatibility list  556  enumerates compatible external agents in a ranking ordered by compatibility score. The agent search program  534  may also show external agent availability, as determined by evaluation of the External Agent Assignment field  516 .  FIG. 5  also shows a non-compatibility list  558  displayed to highlight particular external agents (in this case Doug) who should not be selected to interact with the selected organization actor. 
     The program instructions of the mapping program  532  implement the logic described above with respect to  FIG. 3 . The mapping program  532  works to transform the core influence mapping representation  536  in the memory  504  into the behavior influence mapping representation  542 . The core influence mapping representation  536  includes actor identifiers  538  and actor influence specifiers  540 . The actor influence specifiers  540  selectively connect the actor identifiers  538  and encode influences between organizational actors identified by the actor identifiers  538 . For example, associating the actor influence specifier ‘Holly’ with the actor identifier ‘Jim’ connects Jim to Holly and connotes that Jim can influence Holly. 
     As described above with reference to  FIG. 3 , the mapping program  532  generates on a user interface a rendering of the core influence mapping  100 . The core influence mapping  100  visualizes that the organizational actors influence one another as encoded by the actor influence specifiers. The mapping program  532  also accepts through the user interface a selection input specifying a selected actor from among the organizational actors. In response, the mapping program  532  displays a behavior list  216  that enumerates permissible behavior tags for the selected actor. The operator chooses a behavior selection, which the mapping program  532  receives and processes. 
     The mapping program  532  transforms the core influence mapping  100  into the behavior influence mapping  200 . More specifically, the mapping program  532  creates an actor behavior specifier  548  for the behavior selection and creates a behavior link  550  from the selected actor to the actor behavior specifier  548  in the core influence mapping. The behavior influence mapping representation  542  stores this information, as well as actor identifiers  544  and actor influence specifiers  546 , obtained, for example, from the original core influence mapping representation  536 . 
     Furthermore, the behavior influence mapping  542  may include directional indicators  554  for influence. For example, the directional indicators  554  may encode whether any one or more of the influence specifiers  546  is positive or negative. The agent search program may take the directional indicators  554  into consideration when determining compatible external agents, as noted above in the discussion with respect to  FIG. 4 . 
     The tool  500  may further provide coaching strategies tailored to the particular behaviors of compatible external agents and selected actors within an organization. The coaching strategies help to build a relationship that increases the understanding and influence on organizational decisions. To that end, a coaching database  560  stores coaching entries  562 . The records that define the coaching entries  562  may include a record number, behavior type, an entry type, and coaching information. The entry type may distinguish between different types of coaching information, such as a ‘coaching tip’ (e.g., a helpful text message that explains behavior characteristics of any selected organizational actor), and a ‘matching strategy’ (e.g., specific advice for an external agent with a specific behavior for successfully interacting with an organizational actor with a specific behavior). Examples are given below. The coaching information in the coaching entries  562  may point to or store text, audio, video, or other information that describes or explains characteristics of individuals with certain behaviors, that gives strategies for working with an individual with any particular behavior, and any other desired guidance information for interacting with an individual who exhibits a particular behavior. 
     Table 3 shows an example of records in the coaching database  560  that store coaching entries  562  for Analytical behavior. The mapping program  532 , agent search program  534 , or another program (e.g., a separate coaching program) may search the coaching database  560  to find, retrieve, and display appropriate coaching strategies. As one example, the ‘tip’ number  10  coaches that when working with an organization actor with Analytical behavior, the external agent should “Answer questions with facts, reasons and numbers that are accurate.” As another example, coaching entry number  27  provides an example of a behavior ‘matching strategy’ for working with an individual with Analytical behavior, with respect to any particular external agent behavior. In other words, given an Analytical selected actor, the behavior matching strategy provides guidance for how an external agent with any type of behavior may best interact with the selected actor. As a specific example, when an Amiable external agent is selected to work with an Analytical organizational actor, the tool  500  may retrieve the following ‘matching strategy’ from the coaching database  560  and display the ‘matching strategy’ on a local or remote display device for the external agent to review: “An Amiable. You both like to take your time in decision making and want risks mitigated. Analyticals like to get down to business quicker than you and want more structured conversations. They also care less about what others think.” Accordingly, the tool  500  may give guidance tailored to any specific external agent behavior for interacting with a selected actor with any type of behavior. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Analytical Coaching 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Coaching 
                   
                   
               
               
                 entry 
                   
               
               
                 number 
                 Entry Type 
                 Coaching information 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Tip 
                 Basic Need: They want to be right, that is, when making 
               
               
                   
                   
                 decisions or buying, they want to do so based on facts and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 figures. They are slow to make up their mind. They are 
               
               
                   
                   
                 structured and like agendas. They typically do not like to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 socialize for very long at the beginning of meetings. They like 
               
               
                   
                   
                 transparency and what to know how we will do things. 
               
               
                 2 
                 Tip 
                 They will be very risk adverse. So, always have 
               
               
                   
                   
                 messages that mitigate risks. 
               
               
                 3 
                 Tip 
                 They will want their decisions to hold up over time. 
               
               
                 4 
                 Tip 
                 They initially focus on self interest. They are looking to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 see that you are trying to do things in your interest versus 
               
               
                   
                   
                 theirs. They will be suspicious of any unproven sales 
               
               
                   
                   
                 claims or hyperbole. Their BS meters will be sensitive. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 They are skeptical of storytelling as they see this as self 
               
               
                   
                   
                 serving. 
               
               
                 5 
                 Tip 
                 They will not be eager to buy big steps, much preferring to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 buy smaller increments. 
               
               
                 6 
                 Tip 
                 They likely will not respond immediately to suggestions - 
               
               
                   
                   
                 they need to think and analyze. This can be frustrating for 
               
               
                   
                   
                 them. 
               
               
                 7 
                 Tip 
                 Do not expect any decision to be made during the meeting 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and do not pressure in any way. 
               
               
                 8 
                 Tip 
                 Pause and think before answering their questions - do not 
               
               
                   
                   
                 answer too quickly. 
               
               
                 9 
                 Tip 
                 Answer many questions indirectly. You may start with 
               
               
                   
                   
                 qualifiers such as “it depends.” 
               
               
                 10 
                 Tip 
                 Answer questions with facts, reasons and numbers that 
               
               
                   
                   
                 are accurate. 
               
               
                 11 
                 Tip 
                 They like detail and process. In presenting, do not start 
               
               
                   
                   
                 with a summary or conclusions. Show them the process 
               
               
                   
                   
                 that you have gone through to get to your answers and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 show the answers at the end. Also do not start with 
               
               
                   
                   
                 credentials - put this at the very end. 
               
               
                 12 
                 Tip 
                 You can start a presentation by going through the classic 
               
               
                   
                   
                 “Understanding Your Situation” in order to verify, through 
               
               
                   
                   
                 interaction that we accurately understand them. 
               
               
                 13 
                 Tip 
                 If we can&#39;t answer their questions, do not try to fake it - 
               
               
                   
                   
                 say that we would like to think about it, gather facts and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 figures and get back to them. 
               
               
                 14 
                 Tip 
                 Show them how you think - the process that you are 
               
               
                   
                   
                 using - the alternatives that you are considering with 
               
               
                   
                   
                 strengths and weaknesses of each. 
               
               
                 15 
                 Tip 
                 They like to develop a business case before moving 
               
               
                   
                   
                 forward. 
               
               
                 16 
                 Tip 
                 Regarding Deals, they like fixed price with guarantees. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 They can be suspicious of gain sharing and balanced 
               
               
                   
                   
                 score carding because they see difficult ties in measuring. 
               
               
                 17 
                 Tip 
                 Do not spend too much time socializing. 
               
               
                 18 
                 Tip 
                 Give them an agenda. 
               
               
                 19 
                 Tip 
                 Show them that you appreciate their orientation towards 
               
               
                   
                   
                 rigor and detail. 
               
               
                 20 
                 Tip 
                 Do not be salesy or pressure them. 
               
               
                 21 
                 Tip 
                 Show them the detail. 
               
               
                 22 
                 Tip 
                 Be prepared for the double click. 
               
               
                 23 
                 Tip 
                 Be fact-based. 
               
               
                 24 
                 Tip 
                 Give them time to think when asking questions. 
               
               
                 25 
                 Tip 
                 Use open-ended questions when asking for their input. 
               
               
                 26 
                 Tip 
                 When advising, stress logic and rigor. 
               
               
                 27 
                 Matching 
                 Analytical Behavior Matching Strategy 
               
               
                   
                 Strategy 
                 How to deal with Analyticals if you are: 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Analytical. You should do well as you both respect 
               
               
                   
                   
                 rigor and accuracy and taking the time to make good 
               
               
                   
                   
                 decisions. You may conflict around who has the right 
               
               
                   
                   
                 answers and the best analytics. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 A Driver. You both will want to get down to business and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 will appreciate structure. However, as a Driving Style, you 
               
               
                   
                   
                 should slow down and not pressure. You should also give 
               
               
                   
                   
                 accurate, thoughtful questions. You want to show how 
               
               
                   
                   
                 risks will be mitigated. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Expressive. You are opposite in every respect. Do not 
               
               
                   
                   
                 come across as salesy. Do not dissemble or use 
               
               
                   
                   
                 hyperbole. Do not pressure. Do not tell long stories. Be 
               
               
                   
                   
                 factual, accurate, provide more detail than you like and be 
               
               
                   
                   
                 careful of anything that could imply self interest. You want 
               
               
                   
                   
                 to show how risks will be mitigated. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Amiable. You both like to take your time in decision 
               
               
                   
                   
                 making and want risks mitigated. Analyticals like to get 
               
               
                   
                   
                 down to business quicker than you and want more 
               
               
                   
                   
                 structured conversations. They also care less about what 
               
               
                   
                   
                 others think. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 4 shows an example of records in the coaching database  560  that store coaching entries  562  for Driver behavior. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Driver Coaching 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Coaching 
                   
                   
               
               
                 entry 
                   
               
               
                 number 
                 Entry Type 
                 Coaching information 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Tip 
                 Basic Need: They want to win. They are very competitive 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and see many things as contests. They like control. You 
               
               
                   
                   
                 will often see them take control of a meeting. They like structure. 
               
               
                 2 
                 Tip 
                 They will take risks. 
               
               
                 3 
                 Tip 
                 Their timeframe is tomorrow. To do lists and action plans 
               
               
                   
                   
                 conclude many of their meetings. They typically start 
               
               
                   
                   
                 meetings with little socializing. They do not want us to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 waste their time. 
               
               
                 4 
                 Tip 
                 They first look at Credibility. They will test this by asking 
               
               
                   
                   
                 questions which can range from challenging to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 confrontational. 
               
               
                 5 
                 Tip 
                 They do not mind, and in fact admire, for us challenging 
               
               
                   
                   
                 them as long as we have credibility. 
               
               
                 6 
                 Tip 
                 Answer questions in a very direct way. Do not first qualify 
               
               
                   
                   
                 by “It depends.” Use high energy words such as 
               
               
                   
                   
                 absolutely. 
               
               
                 7 
                 Tip 
                 They do not like to be sold to with storytelling, especially if 
               
               
                   
                   
                 they go on and on. 
               
               
                 8 
                 Tip 
                 They will buy big. They typically do not like to spend much 
               
               
                   
                   
                 time on assessments and feasibility studies: They want to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 move on. 
               
               
                 9 
                 Tip 
                 They are very decisive. They make their minds up quickly. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 During the sales campaign, they may decide on who they 
               
               
                   
                   
                 want during the first meeting. 
               
               
                 10 
                 Tip 
                 Start presentations with conclusions, summaries or 
               
               
                   
                   
                 recommendations. Follow with credentials and where we 
               
               
                   
                   
                 have done it elsewhere. Do not start with Understanding 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Your Situation. They see this as a waste of time as they 
               
               
                   
                   
                 already understand their situation. 
               
               
                 11 
                 Tip 
                 They like facts and figures but presented in an easy to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 understand way. They will selectively probe and test 
               
               
                   
                   
                 numbers with drill down. 
               
               
                 12 
                 Tip 
                 They do not like big presentation decks. Actually some 
               
               
                   
                   
                 may not like presentation decks at all. 
               
               
                 13 
                 Tip 
                 In preparing to meet people with the Driving style, think of 
               
               
                   
                   
                 the 40 40 20 rule. This means spending 40% of your 
               
               
                   
                   
                 preparation time in thinking of what you want to say or get 
               
               
                   
                   
                 across, 40% of your time in anticipating questions that you 
               
               
                   
                   
                 may be asked and 20% of your time in thinking of the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 questions that you can ask them. They admire good 
               
               
                   
                   
                 questions to them. 
               
               
                 14 
                 Tip 
                 The Driving styles like options. 
               
               
                 15 
                 Tip 
                 Always think of what actions there are at the end of 
               
               
                   
                   
                 meetings. 
               
               
                 16 
                 Tip 
                 Do not take notes - this subordinates one. 
               
               
                 17 
                 Tip 
                 They are often unimpressed by having senior people come 
               
               
                   
                   
                 to see them. They want to see the value from this. 
               
               
                 18 
                 Tip 
                 They like deals that have guarantees, penalties and gain 
               
               
                   
                   
                 sharing. 
               
               
                 19 
                 Tip 
                 Do not spend too much time socializing. 
               
               
                 20 
                 Tip 
                 Give them an agenda. 
               
               
                 21 
                 Tip 
                 Stay structured. 
               
               
                 22 
                 Tip 
                 Save them time. 
               
               
                 23 
                 Tip 
                 Anticipate their questions. 
               
               
                 24 
                 Tip 
                 Put the A team in front of them. 
               
               
                 25 
                 Tip 
                 Challenge them with good questions. 
               
               
                 26 
                 Tip 
                 Get to the point. 
               
               
                 27 
                 Tip 
                 Do not be afraid to ask challenging questions. 
               
               
                 28 
                 Tip 
                 Provide feedback around results. 
               
               
                 29 
                 Tip 
                 Be fact and logic-based. 
               
               
                 30 
                 Tip 
                 Provide options. 
               
               
                 31 
                 Tip 
                 When advising stress, results. 
               
               
                 32 
                 Matching 
                 Driver Behavior Matching Strategy 
               
               
                   
                 Strategy 
                 How to deal with the Driving Style if you are: 
               
               
                   
                   
                 A Driving Style: You are alike in every way but you are 
               
               
                   
                   
                 both competitive which can lead to problems. Possible 
               
               
                   
                   
                 conflicts occur over who is in control and who is driving. It 
               
               
                   
                   
                 is important to maintain peer status as a Driving Style 
               
               
                   
                   
                 dealing with a Driving Style. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Analytical: You both are structured and want to get 
               
               
                   
                   
                 down to business and are interested in numbers. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Remember that the Driver is a risk taker and that you 
               
               
                   
                   
                 aren&#39;t and also that they want to move quicker and bigger. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 They also want direct answers that do not have to be 
               
               
                   
                   
                 qualified. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Expressive. You share risk taking, decisiveness and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 speed with the Driving Style. You differ in that you are 
               
               
                   
                   
                 less structured and less numbers oriented. Do not use the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 story telling technique. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Amiable. You are different in every respect. You need 
               
               
                   
                   
                 to get down to business quickly, answer questions directly, 
               
               
                   
                   
                 be prepared to answer questions quickly and directly and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 recognize that the Driving Style wants to move with speed. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 5 shows an example of records in the coaching database  560  that store coaching entries  562  for Expressive behavior. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 5 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Expressive Coaching 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Coaching 
                   
                   
               
               
                 entry 
                 Entry 
               
               
                 number 
                 Type 
                 Coaching information 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Tip 
                 Basic Need: Expressives want to be admired. They want 
               
               
                   
                   
                 recognition. 
               
               
                 2 
                 Tip 
                 Never embarrass an Expressive, especially around others. 
               
               
                 3 
                 Tip 
                 Do not directly challenge as this could lead to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 embarrassment. 
               
               
                 4 
                 Tip 
                 In the Trust equation, they first look at Intimacy. They do 
               
               
                   
                   
                 not mind revealing very personal things such as feelings about  
               
               
                   
                   
                 others and opinions. 
               
               
                 5 
                 Tip 
                 They are future oriented and creative. They are 
               
               
                   
                   
                 visionaries and innovators. 
               
               
                 6 
                 Tip 
                 They need empathy. Acknowledge that you have heard 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and understand their feelings. 
               
               
                 7 
                 Tip 
                 Expressives are risk takers. 
               
               
                 8 
                 Tip 
                 They are very decisive - in fact, impulsive. 
               
               
                 9 
                 Tip 
                 They will quickly change their mind. This means that one 
               
               
                   
                   
                 should always go last because of this. 
               
               
                 10 
                 Tip 
                 They are assessable and easy to talk with. They like to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 use multiple vendors because the attention they receive. 
               
               
                 11 
                 Tip 
                 They do not mind us bringing several people at once to 
               
               
                   
                   
                 see them. They like audiences. Take notes to flatter 
               
               
                   
                   
                 them. 
               
               
                 12 
                 Tip 
                 They like lots of attention. See them as much as you can. 
               
               
                 13 
                 Tip 
                 A good technique is to ask their opinions. 
               
               
                 14 
                 Tip 
                 They are great coaches, whether they want you to win or 
               
               
                   
                   
                 not because it is hard for them not to want to tell what&#39;s 
               
               
                   
                   
                 going on. 
               
               
                 15 
                 Tip 
                 Put the “Understanding Your Situation” section at the very 
               
               
                   
                   
                 front of your presentation and invite their comments. You 
               
               
                   
                   
                 do this to show that you understand them and let them 
               
               
                   
                   
                 talk. 
               
               
                 16 
                 Tip 
                 They may ask flashy questions that they hope impress the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 audience. 
               
               
                 17 
                 Tip 
                 They like flattery. 
               
               
                 18 
                 Tip 
                 They often communicate using story telling many times 
               
               
                   
                   
                 with stores of accomplishment where they where the hero. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Also, they mix in humor in meetings. 
               
               
                 19 
                 Tip 
                 Regarding deals they like balanced scorecards using 
               
               
                   
                   
                 subjective measures such as customer or user 
               
               
                   
                   
                 satisfaction. 
               
               
                 20 
                 Tip 
                 Flatter them. 
               
               
                 21 
                 Tip 
                 Ask about their vision. 
               
               
                 22 
                 Tip 
                 Be excited. 
               
               
                 23 
                 Tip 
                 Ask their opinions. 
               
               
                 24 
                 Tip 
                 Listen avidly. 
               
               
                 25 
                 Tip 
                 Empathize. 
               
               
                 26 
                 Tip 
                 Joke. 
               
               
                 27 
                 Tip 
                 Bring in the big dos. 
               
               
                 28 
                 Tip 
                 Point out their achievements. 
               
               
                 29 
                 Tip 
                 Ask them where they could be doing better, versus you 
               
               
                   
                   
                 telling them. 
               
               
                 30 
                 Tip 
                 Actively listen and be empathetic. 
               
               
                 31 
                 Tip 
                 Playback what they say. 
               
               
                 32 
                 Tip 
                 When advising, point out how this will lead to innovation 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and recognition. 
               
               
                 33 
                 Matching 
                 Expressive Behavior Matching Strategy 
               
               
                   
                 Strategy 
                 How to deal with Expressives if you are: 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Expressive: You are alike but be careful to not outtalk 
               
               
                   
                   
                 another expressive or take the credit for achievement. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 You need to listen better, flatter and take notes. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 A Driving Style: You need to empathize more, not be 
               
               
                   
                   
                 afraid of going to the people and feelings level, tolerate 
               
               
                   
                   
                 storytelling and be comfortable with less structure. You 
               
               
                   
                   
                 need to loosen up and be more humorous versus being 
               
               
                   
                   
                 rigid and all business. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Amiable: You share a people orientation and less 
               
               
                   
                   
                 structure. You differ in that the Expressive in more action 
               
               
                   
                   
                 oriented and impulsive. You need to worry less about risk 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and concentrate more on vision and innovation. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Analytical: You are different in every way. First 
               
               
                   
                   
                 recognize that the Expressive is a risk taker, very decisive 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and hates too much detail. They want more direct 
               
               
                   
                   
                 answers and do not care as much about process and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 accuracy. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 6 shows an example of records in the coaching database  560  that store coaching entries  562  for Amiable behavior. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 6 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Amiable Coaching 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Coaching 
                   
                   
               
               
                 entry 
                 Entry 
               
               
                 number 
                 Type 
                 Coaching information 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Tip 
                 Basic Need: To be liked. 
               
               
                 2 
                 Tip 
                 Amiables are about harmony and consensus. 
               
               
                 3 
                 Tip 
                 Relationships are most important to amiables. 
               
               
                 4 
                 Tip 
                 They like to spend time socializing at the beginning of 
               
               
                   
                   
                 meetings, often intimate questions - e.g. Are you 
               
               
                   
                   
                 married? Do you have children, where do you live and so 
               
               
                   
                   
                 on. 
               
               
                 5 
                 Tip 
                 They are simply trying to get to know you personally. 
               
               
                 6 
                 Tip 
                 They communicate at the people and feelings level. 
               
               
                 7 
                 Tip 
                 They most strongly value reliability, loyalty and intimacy. 
               
               
                 8 
                 Tip 
                 Their time frame is the present. They like the comfort of today and 
               
               
                   
                   
                 resist change. 
               
               
                 9 
                 Tip 
                 Sell them by showing proven processes and brand name 
               
               
                   
                   
                 references. 
               
               
                 10 
                 Tip 
                 They are not risk takers. 
               
               
                 11 
                 Tip 
                 They are slow to decide. It can be argued that they are 
               
               
                   
                   
                 rarely deciders, that instead they are approvers because 
               
               
                   
                   
                 they take the opinions of others before acting. 
               
               
                 12 
                 Tip 
                 They are more unstructured and do not mind storytelling. 
               
               
                 13 
                 Tip 
                 You should answer their questions thoughtfully and more 
               
               
                   
                   
                 indirectly always thinking of the people impact of your 
               
               
                   
                   
                 answers. 
               
               
                 14 
                 Tip 
                 They like for presentations to begin with understanding 
               
               
                   
                   
                 their situation. 
               
               
                 15 
                 Tip 
                 Regarding deals, they like balanced scorecards with 
               
               
                   
                   
                 guarantees. 
               
               
                 16 
                 Tip 
                 Build rapport by socializing. 
               
               
                 17 
                 Tip 
                 Establish commonalities. 
               
               
                 18 
                 Tip 
                 Be careful not to confront. 
               
               
                 19 
                 Tip 
                 Ask their opinions. 
               
               
                 20 
                 Tip 
                 Be empathetic. 
               
               
                 21 
                 Tip 
                 When advising, point out how this will improve harmony 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and relationships. 
               
               
                 22 
                 Matching 
                 Amiable Behavior Matching Strategy 
               
               
                   
                 Strategy 
                 How to deal with Amiables if you are: 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Amiable. You are alike in every respect. The only 
               
               
                   
                   
                 conflict is who is most popular and who networks the best. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Analytical. You are alike in that neither of you are risk 
               
               
                   
                   
                 takers and like more data driven approaches. Also, you 
               
               
                   
                   
                 both are indecisive. You are different in that the Amiable 
               
               
                   
                   
                 in more unstructured and people oriented. Understand 
               
               
                   
                   
                 that Amiables need the support of others to make 
               
               
                   
                   
                 decisions and do not have the level of detail that you do. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 A Driving Style: You are opposite in every respect. You 
               
               
                   
                   
                 should sell to Amiables by selling to those who influence 
               
               
                   
                   
                 them. You need to slow down and not pressure. Most 
               
               
                   
                   
                 importantly, you need to learn to socialize more at the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 intimate level. Also, you need to be empathetic and be 
               
               
                   
                   
                 comfortable with people and feeling conversations versus 
               
               
                   
                   
                 task and content. 
               
               
                   
                   
                 An Expressive: You are alike in your people orientation 
               
               
                   
                   
                 and the fact that you both are unstructured. You differ in 
               
               
                   
                   
                 speed of decision making and in taking risks. So do not 
               
               
                   
                   
                 pressure or expect quick decisions. Sell to those who 
               
               
                   
                   
                 influence them. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The agent search program  534  may automatically retrieve one or more of the coaching entries applicable to each external agent or selected actor. For example, if the selected organizational actor has Driver behavior, the agent search program  534  may retrieve and display any desired number of coaching entries  562  specific to individuals with Driver behavior. The coaching display window  564  shows an example of how the tool  500  may display coaching information. Accordingly, the selected external agent receives specific input on how to successfully interact with the selected actor. Furthermore, the agent search program  534  may also search the coaching entries  562  for an applicable behavior matching strategy, and display the particular matching strategy corresponding to the external agent behavior. For example, if the external agent behavior is Expressive and the organizational actor is a Driver, the tool may retrieve and display “You share risk taking, decisiveness and speed with the Driving Style. You differ in that you are less structured and less numbers oriented. Do not use the story telling technique.” 
       FIG. 6  shows a behavior coaching matrix  600  (“matrix  600 ”). The matrix  600  provides a behavior description column  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608  for each behavior. For example, the behavior description column  602  provides descriptive entries  610  that characterize the Analytical behavior. The matrix  600  further provides a coaching column  612 ,  614 ,  616 , and  618  for each behavior. For example, the coaching column  612  provides coaching entries  620  that provide suggestions for how to respond to Analytical behaviors. 
     The entries in the behavior coaching matrix  600  may be stored as entries in the coaching database  560 . Accordingly, in addition to the examples given above in Tables 3-6, the coaching database  560  may store additional or different entries as shown in  FIG. 6  (or any other entries). The coaching database  560  implements a source of valuable insight into behavior and may adapt over time to provide the most up-to-date guidance on how external agents should interact with organizational actors. 
     The behavior mapped influence analysis tool may be implemented in any combination of hardware and software. For example, programs in software libraries may provide the functionality of the mapping program  532  and the agent search program  534 . Such software libraries may include dynamic link libraries (DLLs), or other application programming interfaces (APIs). As another example, the databases may be implemented as Microsoft™ Sharepoint™ repositories, Structured Query Language based databases, or in other forms. The programs may be stored on a computer readable medium, such as a CDROM, hard drive, floppy disk, flash memory, or other computer readable medium. Programs, instructions, or other logic may be parts of a single program, separate programs, or distributed across several memories and processors. The programs may also be encoded in a tangible signal of any duration that bears the logic as the signal propagates from a source to a destination. 
     Furthermore, it is noted that the tool carries out electronic transformation of data that may represent underlying physical objects. For example, the mapping program  532 , by selectively creating actor behavior links  552  and actor behavior specifiers  548  effectively transforms physically prepared core influence mappings into behavior influence mappings. Part of the transformation includes adding behavior information to the core influence mapping and linking the behavior information to organizational actors. 
     While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.