External Stakeholder Groups
Map the key external individuals or groups that will have the most influence on the outcome you desire
About External Stakeholder Groups
An external stakeholder map identifies the individuals and groups outside your organisation who will have the most influence on whether you achieve the outcome you want. Customers, regulators, partners, suppliers, communities and funders are common examples.
Naming these groups explicitly turns a vague sense of who matters into a defined list that can be analysed and managed, and it prevents important voices being overlooked until they become a problem.
At a glance
- Category
- Strategy
How it is structured
The exercise starts from a clear objective and asks who outside the organisation can help it, block it or shape it. Each group or individual is listed with a short note on why they matter to the outcome.
The resulting list is the starting point for deeper work, such as plotting stakeholders by influence and attitude or writing individual profiles, and it helps decide where engagement effort should go.
Use cases
Launching an initiative
Identify who outside the organisation needs to support, approve or be consulted on the plan.
Managing change
Recognise the groups affected by a change so communication can be targeted.
Strategic planning
Understand the external forces and relationships that could help or hinder your strategy.
How to use it
Tips and common mistakes
- Include groups who may oppose you as well as those who support you.
- Think beyond the obvious. Regulators, local communities and suppliers are often forgotten early on.
- Revisit the list as the initiative develops, since new stakeholders emerge over time.
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