Following or during a Stakeholder
Analysis process, it is often useful to categorize the various stakeholders
by drawing further pictures of what the stakeholder groups are, which interests
they represent, the amount of power they possess, whether they represent inhibiting
or supporting factors for the organization to realize its objectives, or methods
in which they should be dealt with. Stakeholder Mapping is the process
of creating such pictures to clarify the position of the stakeholders of the
organization.
Amongst the generic methods that can be used to analyze stakeholders are:
Internal / External Stakeholder
Analysis, Primary / Secondary
Stakeholder Analysis,
Force Field Analysis,
SWOT Analysis and Actor Influence
Diagrams. Actor Influence Diagrams help to picture the formal and, more
importantly, informal relationships that exist: the networks. These relationships
are captured as a directed graph of arrows linking one stakeholder to another.
Formal and informal relationships are captured using different arrow types.
Below you can find some more, specialized stakeholder mapping methods.
One example of such maps is called the Power / Dynamism
Matrix. This stakeholder map classifies stakeholders in relation
to the power that they hold and the dynamism of their stance. The Power
/ Dynamism Map can be used to ascertain where political efforts should
be focused during the development of new strategies.
The stakeholders in group A and B are the easiest to
deal with.
The stakeholders in group C are important, because they
are powerful. However their dynamism is low, so their stance is predictable
and their expectations can often be met in a relatively easy manner..
Stakeholders in group D should have the most management
attention, because they are powerful and their stance is difficult
to predict. They can sometimes be dealt with by testing out new strategies
with them before final decisions are made.
Another example is the Power / Interest Matrix.
This stakeholder map classifies stakeholders in relation to the power
that they hold and the extent to which they are likely to show interest
in the strategies of the organization. The Power / Interest Map can
be used to indicate what type of relationship the organization should
have with each of the groups.
The stakeholders in group A require only minimal effort
and monitoring.
The stakeholders in group B should be kept informed.
They can be important to influence the more powerful stakeholders.
Stakeholders in group C are powerful, but their level
of interest in the strategies of the organization is low. They are
generally relatively passively, but may suddenly emerge as a result
of certain events, moving to group D on that issue. They should be
kept satisfied.
The stakeholders in group D are both powerful and highly
interested in the strategies of the organization. The acceptability
of strategies to these key players should be an important consideration
in the evaluation of new strategies.
A more recent Stakeholder Mapping model is the Power,
Legitimacy and Urgency Model described by Mitchell, Agle and Wood
(1997, 1999). This model maps stakeholder behavior into 7 types, depending
on the combination of three characteristics:
POWER of the stakeholder to influence the organization.
LEGITIMACY of the relationship and actions of the stakeholder
with the organization in terms of desirability, properness or appropriateness.
URGENCY of the requirements being set for the organization
by a stakeholder in terms of criticality and time-sensitivity for
the stakeholder.
The stakeholders who show only one of the 3 characteristics
(number 1, 2 and 3 in the picture) are defined as the Latent Stakeholders.
They are sub-classified further as dormant, discretionary or demanding
stakeholders.
The stakeholders who show two out of 3 of the characteristics
(number 4, 5 and 6 in the picture) are defined as Expectant Stakeholders.
They are sub-classified further as dominant, dangerous or dependent
stakeholders.
The stakeholders showing all 3 characteristics are called
Definitive Stakeholders.
Note that the management of an organization has to assess the
position of each stakeholder. It is the subjective perception of management
that will ultimately decide the way in which the organization will act towards
its stakeholders.
Book: Gardner, J.R., Rachlin, R. and Sweeny, H.W.A. - Handbook
of Strategic Planning (1986)
Book: Mitchell, R.K., Agle, B.R., Sonnenfeld, J.A. - Who Matters
to CEOs? An Investigation of Stakeholders Attributes and Salience, Corporate
Performance and CEO Values (1999)
Forum discussions about Stakeholder Mapping. Below you can ask a question about this topic, share your experiences, report a new development, or explain something.
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Conceptual Stakeholder References
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Information Sources
Various sources of information regarding Stakeholder Mapping. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops.
Introduction to Stakeholder Management David Butter explains what stakeholders are and their importance for organizations, distinguishing internal from externa...
Corporate Strategy, Global Economy, Banking System, Leadership Development, Stakeholder Management Steven Covey hints at some of the reasons why trust is so fundamental for corporations, the banking system, financial in...
Research Links
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