Play 4: Identify Critical Stakeholders

For your initiative to be successful, your work can’t be done in a vacuum. You need others to be aware of and support what you’re doing. Your stakeholders are the universe of people and organizations that are interested in, affected by, or benefit from your effort. Consider mapping your stakeholders to help you identify the groups of people who should be engaged in your initiative and determine the best ways to reach each type of stakeholder.

STAKEHOLDER CATEGORIES

Categorizing your stakeholders into groups based on their role can help simplify your stakeholder mapping process. There are many different stakeholder models you can reference. Consider these potential categories for grouping stakeholders:

  • Advisors: The technology and accessibility experts that will act as advisors to help shape and guide your initiative;
  • Advocates: The senior leaders, executives, and influencers who can provide resources and lend authority and credibility to your effort;
  • Messengers: The technology and accessibility champions that will help carry your message;
  • Implementers: The decision-makers that pull the levers to design accessible technologies and the developers and manufacturers that need to take action to design, produce, and disseminate accessible technology (i.e. decision-makers who will implement your vision);
  • Potential Beneficiaries: The end users who stand to benefit from the accessibility of your emerging technology and future emerging technology leaders seeking to create an accessible technology.
Stakeholder Map Template

TIPS

  • Create Your Stakeholder Map: You can create a stakeholder map using this Stakeholder Map template—or one that you design on your own—to identify the individuals and organizations you need to play a role in executing your vision.
  • Create Your Stakeholder Groups: Clearly define each stakeholder role, including categories for stakeholders who will both enact change and be affected by change.
  • Identify Stakeholders: Stakeholders should include individuals and organizations that can help you achieve success and those that need to be informed of what you’re doing. Ultimately, they should have the ability to contribute their respective expertise, experiences, and industry knowledge.
  • Don’t Worry: It’s ok if individuals or groups appear in more than one category or if their influence in a category shifts over time.
  • You Can Come Back to the Who: If you know a particular organization is a key player in the space, don’t worry if you can’t identify a person within the organization. Just add it to the list. You can figure out the ‘Who’ later.
  • Go from Top to Bottom: Be sure to include stakeholders from the executives and decision-makers to those stakeholders that create the technology and those that use it.
  • Ensure Different Perspectives: You’ll want to include individuals with a diverse set of abilities and expertise from the sectors that touch your initiative.
  • Get Specific: Identify the perceived benefit each stakeholder brings to the table and consider evaluating their importance to your success.

Guiding Questions to Get You Started:

  1. Which organizations and individuals pull the levers that can drive change (i.e. decision-makers)?
  2. Which sectors do you need to include in your stakeholder groups?
  3. Which role will each individual or group play? Will they help you build the initiative or grow it? Will they help you expand your reach?
  4. How vital are these individuals and groups to the work at hand?
  5. How will you engage each stakeholder in your initiative?
  6. Who is the right person to engage key stakeholders?

Footnotes

[1] Questions reflect recommendations from Laurie Axelrod and Beth McDonald, The Method and The Magic (2018), p. 65

Continue to Play 5: Craft Your Message