Knowing the Actors

The Knowing the Actors module (English download pdf 3.5 MB; French download; Spanish download) consists of tools to identify, sample or describe the stakeholders involved in or affected by a core problem or action, assess the ongoing relations or  interactions among them, and manage the expectations of different stakeholders.

Identifying the stakeholders

Nominal Identification helps you identify the stakeholders involved in a situation or proposed action.

Personification helps you create and explore descriptions and stories of stakeholders who have no way to represent themselves in a particular context.

Stakeholder Sampling helps you develop a sample of stakeholders to be consulted or surveyed.

Understanding the stakeholder structure

Stakeholder Rainbow helps you visualize the differences between stakeholders who may influence a situation or course of action and stakeholders who may be affected by it.

Social Analysis C.L.I.P. helps you describe the characteristics and relationships of key stakeholders, and to explore ways to resolve social problems and mobilize people strategically. C.L.I.P. stands for Collaboration/Conflict, Legitimacy, Interests and Power. The tool is supported by original software available here.

Power helps you understand and evaluate the sources and levels of power that stakeholders hold in a certain situation. Use it to unpack the sources of power, as an input to C.L.I.P.

Interests helps you evaluate the net gains and losses that may result for different stakeholders or a single stakeholder involved in a situation or proposed action. Use it to unpack the interests of stakeholder, as an input to C.L.I.P.

Legitimacy helps you gain a better understanding of stakeholder legitimacy using the three "R" factors: rights, responsibilities, and resolve. Use this technique to investigate how the "R" factors are distributed, and how this affects the ability of key stakeholders to handle a situation or proposed action.

Managing expectations

Positions and Interests helps you compare the positions that stakeholders take on a situation or proposed action with their underlying interests.

Negotiation Fair helps you assess and negotiate what stakeholders can expect of each other.

More advanced tools for knowing the stakeholders are included in the module for Understanding Systems.