Stakeholder analysis

Get the matrix ready

Use the template printout or create a 2x2 matrix with Power and Interest on the axes as follows on a flip chart:

(Y Axis) Power: a stakeholder’s level of influence in the system—how much they can direct or influence your project and other stakeholders, this can be either positively or negatively.

(X Axis) Interest: the degree to which a stakeholder will be affected by the project.

If online, use the Miro board template.

Identify stakeholders

Identify the most important stakeholders to the project. Create a list theose stakeholder groups by answering the following questions:

• Who will be impacted by this project?
  (e.g., communities, volunteers, local private sector, other local organisations etc.)
• Who will be responsible or accountable for the project?
  (e.g., a PNS/HNS partner, volunteers, external partners etc.)
• Who will have decision authority on the project?
  (e.g., local branch, volunteers, communities)
• Who can support or obstruct the project?
  (e.g., local change agents, local authorities, competitors)
• Who has been involved in a project like this before?
  (e.g., good lessons learned can we take from other similar projects from same or other contexts?)
• Which stakeholders, not typically involved a project like this, could help us accelerate impact?
  (e.g., niche experts from different sector, local change agents, stakeholders constituting pathways for scaling of impact)

Note down stakeholders on sticky notes, one stakeholder per sticky note. A stakeholder can both be a group of people (e.g., young men in the community) or one specific person (e.g. community nurse). Try to be as specific as possible, as it will give you the most actionable stakeholder analysis.

Examples of stakeholders:

• Communities we support (including vulnerable and/or excluded groups)
• Implementing partners
• Local organisations (e.g., Community-Based Organisations, thematic interest groups, youth organisations)
• Institutions (Government, ministries, local authorities, institutes, etc.)
• Other humanitarian- or development organisations (IFRC, ICRC, other RCRC societies, UN, other INGOs etc.)
• Private sector actors locally, nationally, regionally and/or globally
• Co-workers, volunteers and management locally, nationally, regionally and/or globally
• Suppliers
• Academia locally, nationally and/or globally
• The media
• Thought leaders
• Religious leaders
• Donors
• Gatekeepers
• Local change agents
• Investors
• Key contributors
• Key advisors

Give approximately 30 mins for this group work. If online allow a bit more time to allow people to arrive at the respective breakout rooms and for potential technical issues.

Face-to-face: If more than 8 participants, split into smaller groups to create the list with each their flip chart or printout, and then compile the full list jointly after group work.

Online: If more than 8 people, split into breakout rooms to create the list with each their board, and then compile the list jointly after group work.

Facilitator tip

Encourage the application of an explorative approach and challenge habitual thinking by asking participants to consider past experiences and ‘unusual suspects’. For example, what we can learn from others or whether there are any new non-sector actors relevant to the project operating in same context or beyond?

Sort stakeholders

Classify your stakeholder list by color-coding them in 3 colours:

• Advocates & supporters are green 
• Critics are red
• Neutral stakeholders are yellow

This step adds the additional dimension of the stakeholder’s attitude towards the project.

Now place the stakeholders, one at a time, on the grid, based on their relative power and interest.

For example:

The health officials are likely to have high power & influence over your projects and high interest in them. Though, your co-workers may have high interest in your projects but won’t have power over them or your organisation management may not have high interest but will have power over you project.

The image shows us that more effort will be put into persuading the local village chief of the benefits of the project, whereas volunteers, the local health clinic, and the local media outlet need to be engaged as powerful supporters.
[Update image to reflect stakeholders mentioned in the example text above illustration]

Face-to-face: If more than 8 participants, split into smaller groups again to do the colour coding and placing of stakeholders on the joint board.

Online: If more than 8 people, split into breakout rooms with each their board again to do the colour coding and placing of stakeholders on the joint board.

Allow for 15-30 mins for group work

If in groups, gather again and consolidate and complete analysis.

Facilitator tip

You might decide to skip the step analysing the stakeholder’s attitudes towards the project depending on the amount of information available. This dimension might be more relevant to apply during the project implementation phase.

Identify strategies to guide actions

Discuss specific strategies with or for each stakeholder based on the position in the matrix and the colour coding:

• High power, highly interested people(Engage Closely): Keep these people fully engaged, make an effort to keep them satisfied.
• High power, less interested people(Keep Satisfied): Put enough effort in with these people to keep them satisfied, but not so much that they disengage over too much information.
• Low power, highly interested people(Keep Informed): Keep these people adequately informed, communicate with them to ensure that no key issues are emerging. People in this category can be very helpful in supporting you with the details.
• Low power, less interested people(Monitor): Monitor these people, but don’t disengage them with overly communicating.

Guiding questions to help develop strategies could be:

• Who needs to be informed of what, and when?
• Who needs to be consulted about what, and when?
• Who is responsible for engaging each stakeholder?
• What motivates them most of all?
• What financial and/or emotional interest do they have in the outcome? Is it positive or negative?
• What is their current opinion of your work? Is it based on good information?
• Who influences their opinions, and who influences their opinion of you? Are these influencers actually key stakeholders?
• Reflect on the relationship between the stakeholders; are there any conflicts between stakeholders? or conflicting values or world views?
• What might turn them around to support your project?
• How might you manage any opposition?

Face-to-face: If more than 8 participants, split into smaller groups again to discuss strategies of how to address the various stakeholders, e.g., taking point of departure in above questions.

Online: If more than 8 people, split into breakout rooms with each their board again to discuss strategies of how to address the various stakeholders, e.g., taking point of departure in above questions.

Facilitator tip

When doing a Stakeholder Analysis for a (new) project, concept, or idea, consider if you are communicating effectively with your stakeholders. Identify any actions you could take to get the most from your supporters, and how you could win over any critics or blockers.