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Stakeholder Mapping: Salience Model
Classify stakeholders by combinations of three critical attributes: Power, Urgency, and Legitimacy.
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Resource Template
§1 The Salience Framework
The Salience Model classifies individuals based on their ability to impose their will (Power), the timeliness required to attend to their claims (Urgency), and the appropriateness of their involvement (Legitimacy). Stakeholders possessing all three attributes command the absolute highest priority.
| Category | Attributes Combined | Strategic Engagement |
|---|---|---|
| Definitive | Power + Urgency + Legitimacy | Highest priority — act on their needs first. |
| Dominant | Power + Legitimacy (no urgency) | Strong claim but not pressing — keep them satisfied. |
| Dependent | Urgency + Legitimacy (no power) | Need project manager advocacy because they cannot act alone. |
| Dangerous | Power + Urgency (no legitimacy) | Coercive — manage carefully as they may surface issues quickly. |
| Dormant | Power only | Latent influence; communicate enough to stay aware. |
| Discretionary | Legitimacy only | Worth informing; little immediate effect on the project. |
| Demanding | Urgency only | Noisy but low influence — acknowledge, but do not over-invest. |
§2 Worked Example: Website Project
Applying the Salience Model to "Mary's Consulting - New Company Website" highlights where the project manager must focus immediate attention versus long-term advocacy.
| Classification | Identified Stakeholders | Contextual Note |
|---|---|---|
| Definitive | Mary (CEO / Sponsor); Marketing Lead | Direct capital and operational owners. |
| Dominant | IT / Hosting Ops; Legal / Compliance | Required gatekeepers without immediate daily blockers. |
| Dependent | Bob, Bill, Christine; Sales Lead; Consultant Community | Highly reliant on the project manager to facilitate their needs and resolve blockers. |
| Discretionary | Fortune 500 Prospects; Hosting / CMS Vendor | Have a legitimate place in the ecosystem but limited power to alter the current course. |
Note on Empty Categories: For this specific project cycle, no stakeholders met the criteria for Dangerous, Dormant, or Demanding classes. This is standard in highly regulated or well-scoped corporate environments.
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