Business Interaction Model (sometimes called a Relationship Map). A business interaction model profiles all or a portion of the business showing the organizational boundaries within the business, and the interactions between these internal and external organizations. The business interaction model does not concentrate on the definition of the organizational units, but rather on the communication and passing of goods and information between political boundaries.
The business interaction model is structured on the premise that the business is an adaptive system. The business receives resources from its suppliers and converts them into products and services which are supplied to the marketplace or other organizations. This adaptive system may be guided by feedback from an internal or external source. Ultimately, external feedback from the marketplace drives the business. The business interaction model shows the business competitors; these both draw from the same resources, and provide products and services to the same customer base. External to the business are a number of environmental influences which set the stage for the business. Environmental influences come from government, the economy, the marketplace, etc. Internally, the business is divided into a number of organizational units. These organizational units are "islands of authority" within the business. The purpose of the business interaction model is to understand the interfaces between these political islands, and between the business and its environment.