What is it?

Stakeholder Mapping is a group facilitation tool which provides insight into the points of view of all groups that are directly impacted by an organizational change, such as a new process. It is a disciplined form of brainstorming that is useful during implementation planning. A stakeholder is defined as anyone affected by the behavior of an organization.

Use it to

• Identify stakeholders.
• Take a quick assessment of the most likely reactions of various groups towards impending organizational changes, such as implementing a new process.
• Identify biases of the various groups.
• Highlight relationships between stakeholders.

How to use it

Step 1. Build a list of possible stakeholders

Brainstorm with the group to build a list of stakeholders in a given situation. This should be fairly exhaustive. Encourage group members to be creative in their suggestions. The list can stay detailed or suggestions can be rolled up under one stakeholder title depending on the desired result.

It is acceptable to suggest possible stakeholders. But greater value is achieved when the group generates their own list. This exhibits an understanding of their sensitivity to each group listed. A stakeholder that may not seem to be directly affected can also be listed to ensure that the wider implications of the change proposed are considered.

Step 2. Finalize the list

Identify all the stakeholders. Create a column for each stakeholder. Use the structure to further the discussion.

While there is an element of brainstorming throughout this process, it is important that participants develop thoughtful responses to each group.

Each stakeholder group is addressed separately to ensure a full understanding of a given group‘s biases, needs, wants, and incentives. Interrelationships between stakeholders should also be addressed.

Discuss the issues until each stakeholder's group identity is clearly defined, the relevant situations presented, and their resulting concerns articulated. Ask what assumptions the group has about the company. How important is the role they play in the change being proposed? Try to capture the same level of detail for each stakeholder group.

Step 3. Analyze stakeholder positions

Facilitate a discussion addressing the decision to be made regarding each stakeholder group. After the stakeholder analysis is performed, there should be clear understanding of the complexity of the dynamics, assumptions held, and positioning of the various stakeholders. This data can then be used to check the planned organizational change for its likely effectiveness.

Following are some questions that might be asked to define the stakeholders and their relationship to the proposed change:

• Who are the stakeholders?
• What is their relative relationship to this process in terms of the formal organization (users, owners, etc.)?
• What is important to them?
• How do they feel about the process today?
• Have they expressed concerns or described unfulfilled requirements? If so, what are they?
• How do we communicate with the stakeholders as a group?
• How can we be sure that the new process will meet their requirements?
• Can we identify potential barriers or enablers?
• How does this process impact their work?
• What is the reputation of this stakeholder group?
• How does the stakeholder group perceive the process and how can their relationship be characterized with those who are responsible for executing the process?

The following are elements of the facilitator's role:

• To provide structure while encouraging discussion.
• To gather consistent information about each stakeholder group (use an interview template.)
• To create an environment of discretion and respect so that stakeholder participants feel comfortable being candid about their assumptions and biases.
• To help phrase ideas clearly.
• To capture the ideas accurately in writing.
• To keep the discussion within the time limit.
• To record all relevant data even if some items seem to conflict with one another.

How to Evaluate Ideas

1. Clarify: make sure everyone understands what each idea means.

2. Categorize: combine related ideas. Group ideas by stakeholder with ordered subcategories to create a template for the remaining stakeholder groups.

Click here to download a Stakeholder Mapping Example (PDF Document)