Stakeholders are persons or groups, who have a reasonable interest in our strategy development and related changes that might happen due to the implementation of the final strategy. Guiding questions within this step are:
Which are our most important stakeholders?
What is our attitude towards our most important stakeholders?
Which (new) expectations are we faced?
How can we extend our scope in handling our stakeholders?
These persons or groups might be parents, teachers from other schools, cooperation partners, etc. Possibly, we have to change the way we handle our school’s stakeholders and they will somehow react to these changes. That is why we should imagine their actual and future role, as well as possible reactions on our strategy. This reduces risks that originate from affected persons.
The following step leads to two results: the relevance matrix of stakeholders and the stakeholder portfolio. Let the learners to a brainstorming regarding the question: who are our stakeholders? Give them sticky notes and pencils to capture ideas immediately. Firstly, ask the participants to sign a portfolio according to the example. Let them stick up the sticky notes with the stakeholders’ names resp. functions or roles to the portfolio. Discuss with them, why they placed each note where it is. If necessary, write new or re-arrange existing notes.
Secondly, when you finished the portfolio, prepare a tabular following the example given at task 3. Do the first example together with the learners. The next will be relatively easy for them. Give support, if they have difficulties to formulate expectations and actions. The stakeholder matrix later gives an overview of stakeholder information you need, when you decide for a strategic direction.
| Stakeholder Portfolio | 45 minutes |
| Relevance matrix of stakeholders | 45 minutes |
Brainstorm stakeholders, which are or might be relevant for your school. Write names (Mr. Boss) or positions/functions (Headmaster) on sticky notes.
Draw a stakeholder portfolio according to the given example. Sort the stakeholders noted to the portfolio. The fields within the portfolio stand for different directions of power. Use these descriptions as an orientation:
Key Players play the most important role during the implementation of the strategy. They stand in an interdependent relationship with the organisation and have a lot of impact on it.
Joker: high impact, but nearly no possibility to influence the jokers. Those stakeholders are in charge. Examples are government contract partners or granters of subsidies. Consider how to improve the suggestibility on stakeholders.
Set: those stakeholders depend highly on the organisation. You have to act responsibly.
Marginal Figures: there is no interdependence between your school and these persons or groups. However, you should check actual and future relevance.
Create a tabular following the example below. Assign values to the listed stakeholders.
| Would they have a highly positive influence on your strategy implementation? |  |
| Would they have a medium positive influence on your strategy implementation? |  |
| Would they have no influence on your strategy implementation? |  |
| Would they have a medium negative influence on your strategy implementation? |  |
| Would they have a highly negative influence on your strategy implementation? |  |
