TOOL T-02 | Mapping & Analysis | Module 1: Pre-Engagement Diagnostics

Power & Influence Analysis

WHEN TO USE After initial stakeholder mapping; before designing engagement formats or selecting channels.

How to Use It

1. Using the Stakeholder Map, identify which groups hold formal authority (LGU officials, title-holders, project proponents) and informal influence (respected elders, cooperative leaders, church figures).

2. For each high-power group, identify: (a) their interests in the project, (b) relationships with other groups, and (c) whether their presence in formal engagement is likely to inhibit others.

3. Identify groups with low power likely to defer, stay silent, or express conditional acceptance rather than genuine views.

4. Map prior negative relationships between groups, these should not be placed in joint settings without careful facilitation design.

5. Identify trusted intermediaries with credibility across groups who can help bridge power gaps.

6. Use the power map to decide which engagement formats are needed: joint meetings, separate sessions, small-group discussions, or individual consultations.

7. Document the power map and attach to the engagement plan as a design rationale.

Purpose

To map power dynamics, decision-making authority, and structural imbalances between stakeholder groups, and to use this understanding to design engagement that prevents dominant actors from silencing others. Knowing who has power is as important as knowing who is affected.

Field Rationale

At Guimaras and Laguna Lake, formal consultations were held with barangay officials and landowners present. Community members, particularly fisherfolk and women, reported feeling unable to speak freely in these settings. The power map was not analyzed before engagement format design, and the format reproduced existing hierarchies rather than creating conditions for honest expression.