Module 2 - Stakeholder Analysis: Discussion
Dear all,
You should have all received the message below that I sent out earlier this week. I have not yet received any responses regarding the need for extra time to go through the Module 2 materials so if everyone is up to speed, we can continue with the discussions. If you still require additional reading time, please let me know.
Discussion:
Stakeholder Analysis is a critical but often neglected step in stakeholder participation processes. But what, or rather who, exactly is a stakeholder and how should they be involved in a stakeholder participation process?
As you will see in the notes, there are a number of important reasons for conducting stakeholder analyses. If undertaken properly, stakeholder analysis can help to improve the success and positive impacts of a project or initiative.
It will be useful to get some feedback from those of you who have either designed or undertaken a stakeholder analysis, on what kinds of stakeholder analysis techniques have either worked or failed and why? Has anyone ever been involved in a project or initiative in which such an analysis was not done and has resulted in poor project results? Perhaps you have been a stakeholder yourselves and have been excluded due to a lack of appropriate stakeholder analysis by the project managers? What results did this have on the long-term success of the project/initiative?
For those of you who have never encountered stakeholder analysis before, why do you think it is important to identify who stakeholders are? How do you think a project/initiative may benefit from identifying specific stakeholders and appropriate ways of engaging with them? What are the main steps involved in undertaking a stakeholder analysis?
Do any of you have any additional questions or comments on stakeholder analysis that are not captured in the module materials? If anyone has any specific case study materials or documents that you feel may benefit the group, please let us know and upload them onto the "Group resources"
As with the previous discussion, please introduce yourself to the group when you respond.
Thanks,
Bernice
Dear participants,
Welcome to the second module of the course. As Oriana is travelling this week, I will be assisting with the course facilitation. Please feel free to contact me with any queries or suggestions (bernice@ecoafrica.co.za).
I hope you are all enjoying the course so far and feel you are benefiting from the materials and interaction. Much of the value of the course lies in the conversations among course participants and sharing of ideas and experiences so I would like to encourage you to continue to contribute to the discussions.
During this module we tackle Stakeholder Analysis which provides some insights into who should be part of the stakeholder participation process and what participation mechanisms are most appropriate for the different stakeholder groups.
For the first 3 days of this week, you should be able to look through the lecture notes and presentation for Module 2. If you need additional time, please let me know so we can postpone the discussion until all participants are ready.
Thanks
Bernice
Question/comment
Dear Oriana,
I would like to advise you and your team to check the module three notes, they are in PowerPoint, where the other one should be a PDF file. Thanks.
Module 2 discussion
Dear all,
First I would like to apologize for not posting for the last couple of days. I had a health problem and couldnt come online.
Dear Vikash, Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, and about the question regarding slide 25, before I try to explain, does anyone wants to express what you have understood? Please notice that participation is a requirement for ending the course successfuly.
Also, I would like to know if you are completing the quizzes at the end of each module, and if yes, do you have any questions/comments? It will also help us to improve our course as we always want to give you the best.
Next week we will start module 3, so we have until friday to finalize module 2, but only if you feel confortable with it.
Regards
Oriana
stakeholder analysis
I support what Bernacia has said about the person who is representing a stakeholder organisation. After having identified a stakeholder organisation in an analysis, I have come across cases where the 'expert' or person who had the issue at heart, or was working on the theme was not the person at the discussion table. This considerably weakened the stakeholder participation. Similarly, the persons were very often not empowered to take decisions, or make commitments, which further weakened the process. One way to go around this is either to target the desirable representative(s) to a stakeholder group or to state that only persons who can speak on behalf of the stakeholder group and senior enough to commit must be the frontline person(s) for the stakeholder.
I have also known cases where persons who had influence and their interests were important, were not invited as a stakeholder since they have a tendency to put across their own agendas rather than the agenda of the group or speak for the common cause. I do not know if excluding these persons/institutions is a way to go around this issue or if there are suggestions of how to deal with this type of situation?
Stakeholder analysis is something that we do all the time, even in personal matters - eg who to invite for a party. We do it unconsciously, but we chose our guests based on who is fun, family, friend, who is the neighbour, who will get upset if not invited, who can help, which two persons you would not invite together, or which persons you will love to get together, who to invite because they can bring in some kind of contribution, who is a troublemaker etc etc The success of the party is one in which the interests of all have been taken into consideration and addressed. Chosing the stakeholders well ensures that the issues are well addressed, but I feel sometimes that groups that have low influence find it difficult to get their views across, and to get the attention they deserve, often as an important stakeholder.
I feel that this module is a very important one and had been well organised. However, it will be good to have some clarification on slide 25 of the Powerpoint presentation to Module 2 'Visual Mapping', if possible, and how it relates to stakeholder analysis?
Regards
Vikash TATAYAH
Stakeholder Analysis
Thank you Bernice. The stakeholder analysis is very informative, educative and well communicated.
The importance to identify who is a stakeholder is a matter of not having look holes in any initiatives/project when someone not in the ground can explain a problem it is better to know who is necessary to be in involve in such or who is affected.
A project/initiative benefit in identifying stakeholders is to avoid being an autocrat were decisions are central everything is ready made but in engaging stakeholders the decision making is not central everyone have a say. The appropriate ways of engaging them is by having dialog in any way which suites that specific area and by inculcating their ideas in the project/initiative.
The steps are by knowing why is the analysis necessary, developing a comprehensive system whereby it is well understood and who should participate in decision making, know the main stakeholders are, look into the stakeholder interests, features and circumstances. Identify the ways and means of interaction between stakeholders and the management styles.
In short, the analysis is about who is need,how is it going to be, were is it necessary , why do we need to go in for such and what is needed in a project/initiative.
In my own country its very less were analysis are conducted or even when conducted mostly not accurate due to unknown reasons but i will say its all about being central in decision- making.
Good day Bernice. I have not
Good day Bernice. I have not had the time to complete the module 2 reading. I will only get a chance this evening. My apoligies and a extension would be great. Thank you. B
Re: DLIST ASCLME: Module 2 - Stakeholder Analysis: Discussion
Thanks for the reminder. I would love to have an extension to complete the reading for Module 2.
Regards,
Bubacarr A Baldeh
Admin. Assistant, GMDC
President, Afrikaada- Gambia
Networking & Partnership Officer, AYICC- Gambia
Youth and Climate Justice Activist
Mob: +220 6334523/3535304
E-mail: bubs802@yahoo.com/bubs802@hotmail.com
The stakeholder analysis
The stakeholder analysis notes are informative and remind me of an outreach initiative in my country that almost failed due to an unclear stakeholder identification process.
We planned to share accurate information about the International Criminal Court in one of the districts in northern Uganda that had suffered most from a two-decade armed conflict.
We used brainstorming sessions with local and district leaders as well as working group sessions with NGOs to identify and attempt a stratification of stakeholders. This, in part, allowed us to prepare specific messages for specific groups as well as to channel the information through the best media.
What we did not clearly envisage was the power of individuals and informal groups in the sustainability of our outreach efforts. It was after implementing about 30% of the outreach initiative that we realised that the government officials and NGOs always needed some extra effort from our side to get them support our project effectively. On the other hand, there was a handful of individuals (including retired teachers, policemen and elders) who were working tirelessly, without no pay or stipend, to ensure that the targeted communities received accurate information about the International Criminal Court and delivered feedback to our team.
Having returned to the drawing board, we reorganised the initiative to let the key individuals and informal group take charge of most leadership roles in this outreach initiative. The initiative, in turn, succeeded impressively.