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Emerald Ash Borer

Who Needs to Know? Why?

Why Stakeholders Matter

Stakeholders are any person, group or organization that can place a claim on an organization’s attention, resources, or output, or is affected by that output.

Doing stakeholder analysis and mapping can help increase the chance of success on an effort by framing issues in ways that:

1) are technically feasible

2) build awareness of support and opposition

3) can advance a common good

Many strategic decisions have failed or produced poor results because people failed to pay attention to the interests and information held by key stakeholders.

How to Conduct a Basic Stakeholder Analysis

  1. Individually (or as a group) brainstorm a list of groups or individuals who have a stake in the issue
  2. For each stakeholder, name the ways in which they influence the issue. [NOTE: Another way of looking at this is to identify their “stake” in the issue – personal and role.]
  3. Once you have analyzed your stakeholders, it can be helpful to “map” them – using a grid or graphic to sort out where each stakeholder is in relation to the issue. See the Power vs. Interest Grid on following pages.

Adapted from: Bryson, J. M., What to do when stakeholders matter: Stakeholder identification and analysis techniques. Public Management Review, Vol. 6, Issue 1, 2004, pp 21-53)

Who Needs to Know? Why?

Stakeholder Identification

You now need to know about your key stakeholders. You need to know how they are likely to feel about and react to your project. You also need to know how best to engage them in your issue and how best to communicate with them.

Instructions: /
  1. Take a few minutes to brainstorm and write down potential stakeholdersthat may be affected by the issue in your community or region (list them in the first column below).
  2. Then consider the self interests and possible contributionsof each of the stakeholders you identify –what’s their interest.

Stakeholder Identification List

Stakeholder
Individual, Group, or Organization name / Self-interest
What motivates them?ASK / Issue Interest
What is their interest in the issue so far, if any?ASK

How to Do a Power vs. Interest Grid

A Power vs. Interest Grid can be used to create a simple map of where the stakeholders are in relationship to the issue and to each other.

  1. Review your stakeholder identification list and determine where each stakeholder you’ve identified lands in the grid – subject, player, context setter or crowd. Write their name in on that area of the grid
  2. Add any stakeholders to your list and your grid that you might have missed

Once you have identified where each stakeholder fits into the grid, you can:

Discuss lines of influence between the various stakeholder groups.

Use lines to indicate the types of relationships (either one-way or two-way) between stakeholders.

Identify the most influential and central stakeholders and discuss your relationships with these stakeholder groups

Goal: Map stakeholder interests and power to determine which player’s interests must be taken into account. The grid can also highlight coalitions to be encouraged or discouraged, whose ‘buy in’ should be sought or who should be co-opted.

Interest / / Subjects
Those who have an interest in the issue, but they have little power
Keep satisfied
Put enough work in with these people to keep them satisfied, but not so much that they become uninterested in your message. / Players
Those who have both an interest in the issue and have significant power
Work closely
These are the people you must fully engage with, and make the greatest efforts to satisfy.
Crowd
Those who have little interest in the issue and little power
Monitor
Monitor these people in case big issues arise, but you don’t need to flood them with a lot of communication. / Context Setters
Those who have power, but little interest in the issue
Keep informed
Keep these people adequately informed, and talk to them to ensure that no major issues are arising – and tap them if need be.
Power

Adapted from: Bryson, J. M., What to do when stakeholders matter: Stakeholder identification and analysis techniques. Public Management Review, Vol. 6, Issue 1, 2004, pp 21-53) and Mindtools at accessed 5/10/10

Power vs. Interest Grid Worksheet

A Power vs. Interest Grid can be used to create a simple map of where the stakeholders are in relationship to the issue and to each other.

  1. Review your stakeholder identification list and determine where each stakeholder you’ve identified lands in the grid – subject, player, context setter or crowd. Write their name in on that area of the grid
  2. Add any stakeholders to your list and your grid that you might have missed

Once you have identified where each stakeholder fits into the grid, you can:

Discuss lines of influence between the various stakeholder groups.

Use lines to indicate the types of relationships (either one-way or two-way) between stakeholders.

Identify the most influential and central stakeholders and discuss your relationships with these stakeholder groups

Goal: Map stakeholder interests and power to determine which player’s interests must be taken into account. The grid can also highlight coalitions to be encouraged or discouraged, whose ‘buy in’ should be sought or who should be co-opted.

Interest / / Subjects
Keep satisfied / Players
Work closely
Crowd
Monitor / Context Setters
Keep informed
Power

Adapted from: Bryson, J. M., What to do when stakeholders matter: Stakeholder identification and analysis techniques. Public Management Review, Vol. 6, Issue 1, 2004, pp 21-53) and Mindtools at accessed 5/10/10

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More Resources

Public Participation Toolboxincludes…

•Techniques

•Always think it through

•What can go right

•What can go wrong

Find at:

Engaging with the Public (tip sheets)

Find at:

Next steps:

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