Template format for elaboration of good practice teaching tools, methods
and curricula within the Grundtvig project:
Capacities over 50s as rural development tool – 50+
Part I: Identification of Good Practice
For the 1st working step (=nomination of a good practice example)
I.1 Introduction
Identification
of the type of
the
good practice
Teaching tool
Stakeholder analysis - The series of analytical
interactive exercises
Teaching method
Curricula
Country
Slovakia
Project partner
VOKA
Keywords
Stakeholders, community development, partnership
submitted by (Name)
Jela Tvrdonova
date of submission (dd/mm/yyyy)
10/02/2010
last update (dd/mm/yyyy)
I.2 Abstract (step 1 – shall be submitted to the organisers of the Grundtvig
activities if good practice is being presented at the activities, or to project
coordinator between activities)
The abstract is a short outline (max. ½ - ¾ page) of the good practice description to be used for
communication purposes. The recommended structure of the abstract is as follows:



Background
This teaching tool – “The Stakeholders analysis” was developed to teach people active in
community development in the process of partnership setting up and development. It is
composed of several exercises following each other helping to understand the
importance, power and position of each stakeholder as well as their behaviour which can
influence the future prospects in the area. It is designed as teaching tool but also as the
community organising tools and can be used also as qualitative indicators if used several
times during the development process
Objectives
This teaching tool – “The Stakeholders analysis” aims to analyse the situation among
stakeholders in the community development in terms of their importance, decision
making power and position in the community, a possible role they might play in future
development including establishment of partnership, further to understand the partners
or/and conflict relations among them, analyse the communication patters and proposed
the communication action in order to improve the situation and deal with the gaps, which
might threaten the partnership development.
Methods
The stakeholder analysis is composed of following methods which also represent steps in
teaching :
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identification of participants in the partnership
Identification of the partners through the method of Venn’s Diagram of stakeholders
Pairwise Ranking Stakeholders Conflict & Partnership Matrix
Analysis of stakeholders communication

Results
The result of use of this teaching tool is the full understanding of the situation among
important development stakeholders on their role in development. It also results in
obtaining skills and knowledge in setting up networks and partnerships, appreciating
various members and their points of view, roles, responsibilities and added values which
they can contribute with in partnership development

Conclusion/Application to practice
There is no need to use every section if not appropriate to your work. But the text must be
understandable as a stand-alone text.
Part II: Detailed description of the Good Practice
This part contains the main description of the good practice. The text should be descriptive and
drafted in a clear language style. Describe the “what” and “how”, without mixing it with your own
personal judgments or conclusions (which will however be requested in Part III). You can
introduce sub-headings, figures, tables, images etc. to illustrate your description. Please mention
all information sources briefly in footnotes as well as in the full version in the annex (part IV.2).
The indicative length of Part II should be between 5 – 8 pages.
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What:
This teaching tool aims to analyse the situation among stakeholders in the community
development in terms of their importance, decision making power and position in the community,
a possible role they might play in future development including establishment of partnership,
further to understand the partners or/and conflict relations among them, analyse the
communication patters and proposed the communication action in order to improve the situation
and deal with the gaps, which might threaten the partnership development.
How:
The tool is composed of several interactive exercises which in are implemented in the following
logical order:




Venn diagram of stakeholders considering importance, decision making power and position
of stakeholders in the community development
Partnership and conflict matrix on identification of pairs of relations among
stakeholders to identify the quality of relations among each pair of potential partners
Communication pattern matrix and diagram - to identify communication patters of each
partner separately and his/her assumptions to contribute and development good
partnerships
Communication action plan – as the set of actions to improve the partnership via series of
practical steps/projects
II.1 Background
Please describe briefly the context of the good practice, why the method, tool or curricula was
developed and how it was used so far, focusing on following issues:




Purpose:
As said before
Target groups: community groups, rural institutions at each level – national, regional,
local, local and regional partnerships, multi-sector partnerships, networks, organisations
etc
Length (how long it is utilised) and frequency (how frequently it is utilised): the full
analysis containing all steps lasts 10 hours, two days of workshop. The proposal is to
utilise this tool at the beginning of the development process, further mid-term period, if
possible to estimate properly and at the end of the process, or at the end of each
identified period. In optimal cases also regularly – e.g. annually
Most important positive outcomes and challenges: the analytical look at the situation
among stakeholders of given situation (various situations can be look at e.g. development
process, establishment of institution, organisation, networks etc.) in terms of their
importance, decision making power, position, communication culture and pattern, conflicts
and collaborative relations. The solid communication action plan as the instrument of
institutional or partnership development can be drawn.
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II.2 The description of the Good Practice
Describe the good practice and its specificities as detailed as possible:
The stakeholder analysis is composed of following steps:
5.
6.
7.
8.
Identification of participants in the partnership
Identification of the partners through the method of Venn’s Diagram of stakeholders
Pairwise Ranking Stakeholders Conflict & Partnership Matrix
Analysis of stakeholders communication
In detail each step can be described as follows:
Exercise 1: Identification of participants in the partnership
Description:
This exercise is to help with the identification of all important partners in terms of their
formal or informal reputation, involvement in the decision making process, the opportunities
of co-financing or any other possible sources that would contribute to successful
implementation of the development process.
Objectives:
A list of all important stakeholders of the region development should be drawn up
Steps:
1.
The working group draws up a list of the local institutions, social groups, individual
representatives and external organizations that should have the stake in the process of
development through a brainstorming within a certain geographical region
2.
The working group draws up a list of these stakeholders and numbers them
3.
The participants must identify as many institutions / partners as they can and arrange
them on the flipchart as truthfully as possible in terms of the relationships the participants
have with them.
Exercise 2: Identification of partners through the method of Venn’s Diagram of
stakeholders
Description:
Venn’s Diagram of stakeholders will help us to identify and determine the
significance/importance of any particular partner included in the planning process. The
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Diagram facilitates the assessment of the relationships, connections, conflicts among the
partners and their influence upon the concrete region.
Objectives:
1. To find out whois more and who is less important for the development of the area.
2. To find out who has the right to take decisions in the region (formally and informally)
and who should be included in the process of development.
3. To identify the relationships and connections among the local institutions, social groups
and independent representatives and find out what could be won or lost from the
implementation of the actions planned in relation with the regional development.
Steps:
1. Setting up of working sub-groups.
2. Each working group draws up a list of the local institutions, social groups, independent
representatives and external organizations that should take part in the process of
development within a certain geographical region (Alternative: the list is drawn up by the
whole group through a brainstorming). The result of previous exercise can be used for this
purpose.
3. Each working group determines the extent of importance of each identified partner by
writing his name / appellation on one of the cut circles: large circle – great importance,
medial circle – average importance, small circle – small importance. This is done for each
sector separately. (The trainer should watch closely whether each partner’s colour differs
from the others partners’ colours.). The results are three sizes and three colors defined
partners.
4. The participants in the working group select the partners who re-cover in the
characteristics. They place them on the flipchart paper (in which are two circles drawn (one
in each other). The central circle means the centrum of the decision power, the surrounding
circle means less power.
5. Partcipans place colored circles around these two circles respecting their mutual
position. This means the connection between / among such partners is stronger and
therefore the circles should be arranged on the flipchart as follows: separate circles – no
contact, circles at a touch – exchange of information, small re-covering – certain cooperation
in taking decisions, large re-covering – intensive cooperation in taking decisions.
6. The participants should identify as many institutions / partners as possible and arrange
them on the flipchart as truthfully as possible in terms of the relationships the participants
have with them. After the work at groups the participants compare Venn’s Diagram of
stakeholders and try to analyze the differences (a certain institution can be presented by
different circles at different working groups – for example small and large). In this case the
whole group should come to an agreement by discussion.
Example of Venn Diagram in Annex 1
Exercise 3 :Pairwise ranking Stakeholders Conflict & Partnership matrix
Description:
The Pairwise Ranking Matrix will show the partnership/conflict situation among all identified
partners, groups / members of the community.
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Objectives:
1. To determine the extent of partnership and conflicts among the various institutions,
groups and independent representatives identified by Venn’s Diagram (Exercise 2)
2. To identify the impacts of the partnership and conflict on the process of development
Matrix on the partnerships and conflicts - example
Partners
Partner 1
Partner
2
Partner
3
Partner
4
Partner 5
Partner
6
Partner 1
х
+++
++
+++
+
–––
Partner
2
х
х
––
–
++
+
Partner
3
х
х
х
––
+
+++
Partner
4
х
х
х
х
–––
+
Partner
5
х
х
х
х
х
++
Partner
6
х
х
х
х
х
х
Description:
+++
- very high level of partnership (commonly financed projects)
++
- medium level o partnership (regular meeting of partners)
+
- standard level of partnership (mutual communication withou any problem)
–––
- very high level of conflict (do not want to attend the same meeting)
––
- medium level of conflict (do not want to cooperate together)
–
- existing conflict of smaller size (lack of communication and understending)
0
- no relationship
Steps:
1. Setting up of small working groups.
2. Each working group brings the list of identified partners into a previously drawn up
matrix – vertically and horizontally. Besides the names / appellations of all partners must be
written on the both sides of the coloured sheets.
3. Each group arranges the pluses and minuses by the different colour. The participants in
the working group compare two partners and settle down the nature of their relationships:
partnership (plus) or conflict (minus) and the intensity of these relationships (numbers of
pluses and minuses from 1 – 3).
4. Following the group discussion and taking a decision the participants put the chosen form
in the matrix. If there are no points of contact between the both partners (neither conflict
nor partnership) the column is marked by 0.
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5. It is recurring until the whole matrix is filled in. Then the matrix is analyzed within the
group (the extent of partnership and conflicts in the community, who are the partners
involved in the conflict or partnership?).
Exercise 4 : Analysis of stakeholder´s communication
Purpose
It is always usefull to understand how various stakeholders of the development process
communicate to each other and what is the general „culture of communication“ among them prior
we star the development process and invite stakeholders to take part in development
partnership.
Objective
To analyse the communication pattern and flows among various stakeholders of the development
of the area and understand the situation prior the partnership starts to create and develop in
order to aid the risk as much as possible and potentialy to prepare the efective communication
plan.
Steps
-
-
Participants work in groups (max 8 people) using the communication pair wise matrix,
which help them to compare each stakeholder and his/her pattern of communication.
Very good communication pattern (information flow, the effort to discuss and have
mutual communication etc.) is marked by number 2, medium communication pattern (only
informatin flow without expectation to get an answer) is marked by 1 and no
communication is marked by 0.
Participants sum up numbers horizontaly and verticaly and attach two indexes to each
stakehilders which indicate their placeat the communication map – see the example
below:
Stakehold.
Youth
Women
Local adm.
Agricoop
Civil as.
Total
pasive
Youth
xxxxxx
1
1
0
2
4
Women
0
xxxxxxx
0
0
2
2
Local adm.
0
0
xxxxxxx
2
2
4
Agricoop
0
0
1
xxxxxxx
2
3
Civil as.
2
2
0
2
xxxxxxx
6
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Total
active
-
-
2
3
2
4
8
xxxxxxx
Participant calculate score of communication for each stakeholder – in active terms (how
stakeholder communicates to the environment) and in pasive terms (how environment
communites to him/her)
Then participants place each stakeholder in the map below and the group discusses the
situation
Pasive
8
Receivers
Both ways communicators
Civil
association
Youth
Local adm
Women
Agricoop
0
No communication
Donators
8
Active
Part III. Expert’s Assessment: Why is this example a Good Practice?
This part contains your brief analytical expert assessment of the described good practice.
Summarize in several bullet points your personal judgement in relation to the four criteria below.
Your judgement should be based on what has been objectively described in Part II.
III.1 Quality & Innovation
Why this approach in teaching in community development (all age categories) is considered a
good practice? What is the specific quality of this GP? Which innovative features it contains?
This approach enables all stakeholders of certain given situation in mutual discussion to take a
deep and multi-dimensional look in the situation among them in terms of their importance,
decision making power, position, conflicts, positive relations and communication patter,
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eliminating “hot discussion” enabling to achieve consensus and agree on the steps to be taken to
improve the situation in favour of further positive development.
III.2 Conditions
Under which conditions this good practice can work effectively?
The best is of all groups stakeholders are represented. The suggestion is to conduct exercise
first separately with individual groups of stakeholders (e.g. separately private sector, public and
civic, or separately various social groups – youth, women, elderly etc.), present results and
finalise combined exercises
III.3 Impact & Sustainability
What can be the long term impacts of this good practice? Have any particular learning processes
been stimulated? Has there been any change in behaviour of target groups?
This teaching tool can help to understand various stakeholders in given situation, how they can
act better and more effectively, stipulate understanding of position of other groups and their
point of view.
III.4 Transferability
Is there potential for transferring this good practice to other project partners, countries
The teaching tool can be directly transferred into the everyday community development life and
utilised in various stages
IV. ANNEX
Provide contact information of individual authors or institutions owning the tool, method,
curricula that should be stored together with this good practice description, without being
necessarily published, or if this would the case to contact them for permission
IV.1 Main contact details
Name of the organization:
VOKA
Contact person:
Jela Tvrdonova
Address:
Nám.Stefana Moyzesa 4,
Post code:
974 04
City:
Banská Bystrica
E-Mail:
Jelatvrdonova@gmail.com
Phone:
+421-48-9151642
Fax:
+421-48-9151643
Website address:
www.voka.sk
IV.2 Information Sources
Further information documents related to the good practice
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Title (EN/+original language)
Format
Language
„ Miestne akčné skupiny typu LEADER a tvorba stratégií sociálnoekonomického rozvoja vidieka“ (Local action groups of Leader types
and creation of socio-economic rural development strategies)
Printed
manual
Slovak
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