Power interest grid

How the power interest grid works

The power interest grid, also known as Mendelow's matrix, is a stakeholder mapping model first set out by Aubrey Mendelow in 1981. It asks two questions about each person or group affected by your work: how much power do they have over it, and how interested are they in it? The answers place them in one of four quadrants, and each quadrant calls for a different level of engagement.

Power

Power is the ability to shape the outcome, whether by approving it, blocking it, or changing how others see it. To judge it, look at:

• Their formal authority, such as budget sign-off or a seat on the steering group
• Control of resources the work depends on, such as people, money, or systems
• Expertise that others defer to
• Their network, and who listens to them

Interest

Interest is how much they care about the outcome, and how actively they are likely to engage with it. It is shaped by:

• How much the work changes their day-to-day job
• What they stand to gain or lose
• Whether it touches their budget, team, or targets
• How visible the work is to the people they answer to

The four quadrants of the power interest grid

Manage closely: high power, high interest

Your key players. They can make or break the work, and they are paying attention. Involve them in key decisions, consult them early rather than presenting finished plans, and invest time in the relationship. Surprises are expensive here, so keep them closer than feels necessary.

Keep satisfied: high power, low interest

Senior people with plenty else on their minds. Give them enough to stay comfortable, in the format they prefer, without burying them in detail. Watch for anything that could raise their interest suddenly, such as a cost overrun or a complaint from their own team, because a powerful stakeholder who feels blindsided can move straight into opposition.

Keep informed: low power, high interest

People who care about the outcome but cannot decide it, often those most affected by the change. Share regular updates, listen to their concerns, and draw on their knowledge of how things really work. They make useful allies and an early warning system, and together they can gain power by lobbying the people who have it.

Monitor: low power, low interest

Minimal effort is enough here. Keep general communication open and check in now and then, but do not spend time that the other quadrants need. Stakeholders rarely stay put, so look again if their role or the work changes.

How to use the power interest grid

1. List everyone who is affected by the work or can affect it. Include groups as well as individuals, and people outside the organisation such as customers, suppliers, or regulators
2. Place each one by power and interest, based on what they have actually done rather than what their job title suggests
3. Read off the strategy for their quadrant, and plan how and how often you will engage them
4. Sense-check it with a colleague. Two views of who holds power often differ, and the difference is worth knowing
5. Revisit it at each stage of the work. Interest in particular can rise overnight when a decision lands on someone's desk

In the tool above, add each stakeholder by name or role, for example 'Finance director' or 'Customer service team'. Your map stays in your browser: nothing is sent to us or stored on our side. Download it as a PDF to share with your project team, or copy a share link.

Where the power interest grid falls short

The grid is a quick first sort, not a full stakeholder analysis. Keep three cautions in mind:

• It says nothing about attitude. A supporter and an opponent can sit in the same quadrant and need very different handling. For that, use our stakeholder map, which plots influence against attitude
• Power is easy to misjudge. Informal power, such as respected expertise or the ear of the chief executive, rarely shows on an organisation chart
• Labels travel. A stakeholder who learns they are in the 'monitor' quadrant tends to become more interested for all the wrong reasons

Where the power interest grid comes from

Aubrey Mendelow introduced the model in 1981, in a paper on how organisations scan their environment. Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes later popularised it in their textbook Exploring Corporate Strategy, and it has since become one of the most widely used tools in project and change management.

The same judgements sit at the heart of Influence, our change management simulation, where teams have to win support for a change from stakeholders across an organisation. To see who backs you as well as who matters, try the stakeholder map, or browse our other free learning tools.