Ways to identify stakeholder positions and rationale
How do you identify stakeholder positions and rationale on your project or programme?
Here are three tips to help you go deeper than the standard stakeholder map…
Draw on your experience.
- Have you encountered this type of stakeholder before?
- What worked? And what didn't?
What are the interactions between your stakeholders, and with other colleagues?
- In my experience there is often a trusted colleague behind the scenes, who your most important stakeholders listen to
Think of each stakeholder’s position as the tip of an iceberg – what is below the surface?
- What might they be carrying in terms of
- previous experiences - a project that failed, a promise that wasn't kept, a relationship that broke down
- fears/worries - loss of control, status, budget, team, relevance
- competing priorities - something else matters more to them right now
- values conflict - the project goes against something they fundamentally believe in
- information gap - they don't fully understand it and may be reluctant to ask
- What do you know about them as a person, not just their role?
Demonstrating genuine curiosity and respect makes this easier than it sounds.
Make time for informal 1-1s and ask what’s on their mind. Then listen.
You may find out something you had never thought of.