How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Stakeholder Personal Analysis

Disciplines > Change Management > Stakeholders in change > Stakeholder Personal Analysis

Motivation | Perceptions | Power | Effects | Influencing them | See also

This is a set of questions designed to get under the skin of an individual stakeholder.

Motivation

What personal investment have they made?

• Career path so far (focus/variety)
• Length of time at company and in current job
• Relationships
• Current projects and objectives
• Personal skill development

Where do they focus their time and energy?

• Their own individual tasks and objectives
• Relationships and networking
• Current work vs. future possibilities

How do they satisfy their deep needs?

• Control, safety, power, certainty, predictability
• Identity, belonging, esteem, friendship
• Novelty, interest, learning, improvement

What do they want around the proposed change?

• Control for themselves or others?
• Specific actions done (or not done)?
• Things done in specific ways?

Perceptions

How do they view other people?

• Caring or self-centered
• To be supported, competed with, or used
• Having rights or responsible for their own future

How do they view themselves?

• Confident or uncertain
• Specialist or generalist
• Superior, equal or inferior to others

How do they view their job?

• A means to an end (career, money, power)
• An end in itself (e.g. identification with company or profession)

How do they make decisions?

• Quickly or carefully
• Primary focus on self, others or company
• By themselves or in collaboration with others
• Reversible or do not change decision once made

How do they perceive the change?

• Sensible or ill-founded?
• Likely to succeed or fail?
• Is their perception based on belief or true understanding?
• How strongly do they hold their perception?
• How do they perceive the change as affecting them?
• Direct, indirect or not at all?
• Threat or opportunity?

Power

What is their source of power?

• What they can control: money, time, resources, people, information
• Who they can influence: friends, admirers, those who feel obligation

What is their style of using power?

• Reluctant and occasional
• Tiger response to threats
• Assertive and direct
• Deception and subtlety

Effect

How does the change really affect them?

• Changes their power?
• Affects other needs?
• Affects goals, objectives and interests?

What is their likely response to the change?

• Opposition, uncertainty or support?
• Action now or ‘wait and see’?
• Open action or hidden action?
• Individual action or acting with others?

What would be the impact of their response?

• Significant or limited?
• Local or widespread?
• Recoverable or permanent?

Influencing them

What would make them more supportive of the change?

• Information / understanding?
• Involvement and ownership?
• Changes in planned actions?
• Direction from more senior managers?
• Evidence of the success of the change?

What would make them less supportive of the change?

• Personal threat?
• Non-involvement in decisions?
• Personal rivalries?
• Insufficient evidence in ‘trial period’ (defined by them)?

See also

Stakeholder interests