Stakeholder mapping
People placed by power and interest, with a different action in each cell.
Two axes, four actions
Stakeholder mapping asks who can affect a piece of work and how closely they care. A common example is Mendelow's power/interest grid. Power is the vertical axis (ability to change the outcome). Interest is the horizontal axis (how much they care right now). The four cells have stock actions: high power and high interest, manage closely; high power and low interest, keep satisfied; low power and high interest, keep informed; low power and low interest, monitor with little effort.
An example of stakeholder mapping that lists names without axes is a contact list. The grid is what makes it a map. A networking map is about who you can ask for help. A stakeholder map is about a specific decision.
Example: moving a field trip
Decision: move the museum trip from Friday to Monday. High power, high interest: the principal, who can cancel the bus, and the lead teacher. High power, lower interest: the transport office, which needs a correct date and little else. Low power, high interest: the parent chaperones, who have arranged time off. Low power, lower interest: a neighboring class that shares the hallway. The map says to talk to the principal and the lead teacher in the same conversation, send the transport office a single date change, and tell chaperones early enough that they can redo a day off. It does not say to call everyone with the same script.
Questions
- What is stakeholder mapping?
- Placing the people affected by a decision on axes such as power and interest, so each group gets a different kind of attention.
- What is an example of a stakeholder map?
- For a date change on a field trip: the principal and lead teacher in the high-power, high-interest cell; the transport office in high power and lower interest; chaperones in lower power and high interest.
- How often should I redraw it?
- When the decision changes or when someone gains or loses power. A map from last year's project will mis-file this year's people.