Note: The Collaboration Map is only available on the Organization plan (as well as certain legacy plans).
The Collaboration Map is an admin report that visualizes how recognition flows across your organization between groups (such as Departments, Manager Teams, and (new) Communities) and, when you drill in, between individual employees.
Instead of scanning rows of data, the map helps you quickly see who is connected, where recognition is flowing, and where it may be missing.
How can it help?
The Collaboration Map helps you:
Measure the impact of initiatives
See how a re-org, recognition campaign, or culture program is influencing cross-team recognition.Track engagement trends
Spot groups with high or low participation and identify recognition silos.Support operational decisions
Identify where recognition is concentrated—or missing—to guide enablement, communications, and leadership support.Segment and analyze data
Switch the map’s Group by option to compare collaboration patterns across Departments, Manager Teams, Communities, and other available groupings.Save time
Quickly surface major collaboration patterns without exporting or analyzing spreadsheets.
Key Concepts
Nodes (circles)
Each circle represents a group (or an employee in drill-down view).
Circle size reflects how many people are in that group (or one person for employee nodes).
Lines
Lines show recognition exchanged between two nodes.
Line thickness represents the total amount of recognition between those nodes.
Solid line: Two-way (reciprocal): Recognition flowed in both directions.
Dotted line: One-way (unidirectional): Recognition flowed in only one direction.
Internal vs external recognition
Internal giving: Recognition given within the same group.
External giving: Recognition given to other groups.
External receiving (drill-down only): Recognition received from outside the selected group.
Quality score (line hover state)
When you hover over a connection line, the map will reflect an average quality score for that connection.
This is shown through line color, as explained in the legend.
Drill-down (Groups → Employees)
Clicking a group node drills into a people-level view for that group.
Clicking an employee node opens that employee’s profile in a new tab.
Timeframe (monthly ranges)
The Collaboration Map uses a monthly date picker.
You can select up to 12 months at a time.
You can’t select the current or future months.
You can’t go back more than 2 years.
Filters
You can:
Show only the Top n most or least connected nodes
Switch between Most connected and Least connected
Select specific groups or employees to focus on just those nodes
User Archetypes
Below the map, the User Archetypes section lists employees who match different “connection styles,” including:
Users in the viewed group who exhibit an archetype
A months in archetype indicator
Benefits
Using the Collaboration Map allows you to:
Find silos quickly by spotting recognition that stays within a group
Tip: toggle to lease connected to quickly spot silos in a large org
Identify collaboration hubs that connect teams across the org
Support leaders with data using group- and employee-level stats
Target enablement efforts where recognition participation is low
Track change over time by comparing month ranges before and after initiatives
Identify communities of employees that work closely together defined by their connections not their user properties
Common Use Cases
Use Case: Identify recognition silos by department
What you want to achieve
Find departments that mostly recognize within themselves.
How to use the report
Group by: Departments
Filter menu: Set Least connected and set your view amount
Hover over connections to assess cross-department ties
Click into a department to identify how internal recognition is flowing
Actionable insights
Departments with strong internal but weak external recognition may benefit from cross-team projects, shared goals, or targeted communications.
Use Case: See whether manager teams encourage cross-team recognition
What you want to achieve
Understand whether recognition flows beyond a manager’s immediate org.
How to use the report
Group by: Manager Teams
Click a manager team node to drill into employees
Review internal vs external giving and external receiving stats
Actionable insights
Low external giving may indicate a need for manager coaching or modeling broader recognition behaviors.
Use Case: Evaluate a cross-functional initiative
What you want to achieve
Confirm whether collaboration is increasing among specific groups (for example, Sales + Support + Product).
How to use the report
Group by: the grouping that matches your initiative (often Departments)
Filter menu: Use Select groups to choose only those involved
Keep the timeframe consistent month over month
Actionable insights
Validate whether recognition is increasing between intended groups—or if activity remains siloed.
Use Case: Find under-connected employees within a group
What you want to achieve
Identify employees who are less connected through recognition.
How to use the report
Click a group node to drill down to employees
Filter menu: Switch to Least connected and reduce Top N
Click an employee to open their profile
Actionable insights
Helps guide onboarding support, inclusion efforts, or targeted recognition prompts.
Use Case: Spot connectors and bridge builders (Archetypes)
What you want to achieve
Identify employees who consistently connect others—or who may be isolated.
How to use the report
Use the User Archetypes panel below the map
Switch between archetypes
(Optional) Drill into a specific group first
Actionable insights
Recognize and empower connectors
Support isolated employees through mentorship or buddy programs
Use Case: Identify communities of employees who work closely together (based on connections, not org structure)
What you want to achieve
Find natural “working clusters” in your organization—groups of employees who interact and recognize each other often—even if they don’t share the same department, manager, or location.
Why it matters
This helps you understand how work actually happens, spot cross-functional pods, and identify collaboration patterns that won’t show up in org charts or user properties.
Step-by-step
Go to Admin Reports → Collaboration Map.
Select a month range that reflects real working relationships (recommended: 6–12 months).
Set Group by to Employees (or drill down into a group first, then view employees).
In Filters:
Choose Most connected
Set Top N to a manageable number (start with 25–50) so clusters are easier to see
Look for dense clusters:
Many connections between the same set of people
Mostly two-way connections
Lines that are noticeably thicker within the cluster than outside it
Click into a cluster:
Select an employee node to open their profile for context
(If available) use drill-down stats to confirm strong internal vs external patterns within that cluster
Repeat with a different Top N or timeframe to validate the pattern:
If a cluster remains consistent across month ranges, it likely represents a stable working community
What to look for (quick checklist)
Dense “webbing” between the same people = strong working community
Two-way recognition = mutual collaboration
Thicker lines inside the cluster = frequent interaction
Few connections outside the cluster = a tight pod (could be good focus—or a silo)
Actionable insights you can extract
Identify cross-functional pods to support with shared rituals, comms, or recognition campaigns
Spot hidden “core teams” doing critical work across boundaries (great for leadership visibility)
Detect isolated clusters that may need intentional bridges to the broader org
Discover informal mentors/connectors inside clusters and elevate them
Step-by-Step Guide
Go to the Collaboration Map in Admin Reports.
Use the monthly date picker to select a range (up to 12 months).
Choose a Group by option (for example: Departments, Manager Teams, Communities).
(Optional) Open Filters to:
Show Most connected or Least connected
Set how many nodes to display (Top N)
Select specific groups or employees
Click a group node to drill down to employees.
In drill-down view:
Click an employee to open their profile
Review internal, external giving, and receiving stats
Use the Legend to interpret node size, line direction, and quality styling.
Scroll to User Archetypes to explore employee archetype lists.
FAQs
1. What data does the Collaboration Map use?
It summarizes recognition connections (count and direction) between groups or employees across the selected month range.
2. Why can’t I select the current month?
The map only supports completed months.
3. What’s the maximum date range I can view?
Up to 12 months at a time, within the past 2 years.
4. What does “Most connected” vs “Least connected” mean?
It changes whether the map prioritizes nodes with higher or lower recognition activity.
5. What happens when I select specific groups or employees?
Only those nodes (and the connections between them) appear. Top N and most/least controls are disabled during selection.
6. What do group-level stats show?
They summarize:
- Total users represented
- Internal vs external giving patterns
7. What additional insights appear in drill-down view?
Drill-down includes external receiving—how much recognition the group receives from outside and from how many groups.
8. What are User Archetypes?
They describe different recognition connection patterns and show how long employees have matched each archetype.
9. Why do I see “no data”?
This usually means there wasn’t enough recognition activity in the selected timeframe.
Questions? Send us a note to [email protected]; we'd be happy to help!
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