Stakeholder analysis

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Stakeholder analysis in conflict resolution, business administration, environmental health sciences decision making, [1] industrial ecology, public administration, and project management is the process of assessing a system and potential changes to it as they relate to relevant and interested parties known as stakeholders. This information is used to assess how the interests of those stakeholders should be addressed in a project plan, policy, program, or other action. [2] Stakeholder analysis is a key part of stakeholder management. A stakeholder analysis of an issue consists of weighing and balancing all of the competing demands on a firm by each of those who have a claim on it, in order to arrive at the firm's obligation in a particular case. A stakeholder analysis does not preclude the interests of the stakeholders overriding the interests of the other stakeholders affected, but it ensures that all affected will be considered. [3]

Contents

Stakeholder analysis is frequently used during the preparation phase of a project to assess the attitudes of the stakeholders regarding the potential changes. Stakeholder analysis can be done once or on a regular basis to track changes in stakeholder attitudes over time.[ citation needed ]

Stakeholder types

Types of stakeholders include: [4]

Other types of stakeholders:

Stakeholder mapping

A Power-Interest matrix showing strategies to use based on the quadrant the stakeholders are categorised in. Stakeholders matrix.svg
A Power-Interest matrix showing strategies to use based on the quadrant the stakeholders are categorised in.

The following list identifies some of the best known and most commonly used methods for stakeholder mapping:

Mapping techniques include the following analysis techniques being used by aid agencies, governments, or consultant groups:

Stakeholder mapping procedure

The list of potential stakeholders for any project often exceeds both the time available for analysis and the capability to sensibly map and display the results. [15] The challenge is to focus on the right stakeholders who are currently important and to create a visual representation of this critical sub-set of the total community - the key stakeholders. [15]

  1. Develop a categorised list of the members of the stakeholder community.
  2. Stakeholders can be prioritized in some order.
  3. The highest priority stakeholders are then translated into a visual representation (often a table or a graph). [8] [16]

The power-interest matrix

The most common presentation style uses a two-dimensional matrix. Power and influence are commonly seen with a third dimension shown by the colour or size of the symbol representing the individual stakeholders, often the attitude.

Some of the commonly used dimensions include: [4] [11] [12] [13] [14] [16]

The salience model

The salience model [7] uses three dimensions: legitimacy (A), power (B), and urgency (C). It is represented in a Venn diagram with eight regions, each associated with a specific stakeholder type.

The Covalence model has eight regions each associated with a stakeholder type Venn diagram ABC RGB.png
The Covalence model has eight regions each associated with a stakeholder type

Stakeholder types as described by the salience model:

  1. Discretionary stakeholders: These stakeholders have little urgency or power and are unlikely to exert much pressure. They have legitimate claims. (yellow region)
  2. Dormant stakeholders: These stakeholders have much power but no legitimacy or urgency and therefore are not likely to become heavily involved. (blue region)
  3. Demanding stakeholders: These stakeholders have little power or legitimacy but can make much "noise" because they want things to be addressed immediately. (red region)
  4. Dominant stakeholders: These stakeholders have both formal power and legitimacy, but little urgency. They tend to have certain expectations that must be met. (green region)
  5. Dangerous stakeholders: These stakeholders have power and urgency but are not really pertinent to the project. (purple region)
  6. Dependent stakeholders: These stakeholders have urgent and legitimate stakes in the project but little power. These stakeholders may lean on another stakeholder group to have their voices heard. (orange region)
  7. Definitive stakeholders: These stakeholders have power, legitimacy and urgency and therefore have the highest salience. (white region at the intersection of all other regions)
  8. Non-stakeholders: These stakeholders have no power, legitimacy or urgency. (outside the regions defined by the circles A, B, and C)

Benefits

Stakeholder analysis helps with the identification of: [16] [17] [18]

See also

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References

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  11. 1 2 Botten, N. (2006). Management Accounting – Business Strategy. CIMA Publishing. pp. 3–4. ISBN   9780750680431. Once the power and expectations (and therefore their likely interest) has been established we can use a power interest matrix to assist the analysis. Mendelow (1991) has proposed such a matrix (Figure 1.4). If the stakeholders are plotted regularly this matrix can be used to determine the potential influence of stakeholder groups.
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