Chapter 3 · Tool
Stakeholder Map (Mendelow Matrix)
Stakeholder management is the process of identifying who holds power and interest, and deciding whether each one inhibits or supports your goals. Mendelow's matrix (1991) turns that judgement into a 2×2 — and tells you where to spend your limited political energy.
How to use it
Step 01
Identify every stakeholder
Customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, regulators — and the less obvious ones. Anyone who can affect, or is affected by, your goals.
Step 02
Score power and interest
Power = ability to influence the decision. Interest = level of concern for your actions. Be honest, not aspirational.
Step 03
Choose strategy per quadrant
Manage closely (high/high), Keep satisfied (high/low), Keep informed (low/high), Minimum effort (low/low). Different cadence, different depth, different communication style.
Step 04
Re-map after every milestone
Power and interest move with reorgs, results and rumours. Quarterly is a good rhythm; before every major decision is better.
Reflection
Sit with these questions.
- →Which 'manage closely' stakeholder am I actually neglecting?
- →Whom am I over-investing in out of habit?
- →Who has informal power I haven't yet named?
- →What would change if I did one nemawashi conversation per week?
Inside TOP Academy
In the Academy you don't sketch a generic map — you map YOUR organisation, with peers from different functions challenging your reading. Most leaders discover at least one stakeholder they were quietly miscategorising. Some discover a whole quadrant they had ignored.
The Leadership Essentials programme has run with 350+ leaders across Europe and Asia — blending the book's models with peer coaching, real-life cases, and follow-through that sticks.
See the programmeWant to work this through with us?
Explore it together in a free online session with Sonja.