Power Mapping

Org charts describe formal authority. Power is different. It includes informal influence (whose opinion shifts decisions), gatekeeping (who controls access), and expertise (whose knowledge others depend on). A proposal that ignores actual power distribution will fail even if it is correct.

Your Process

Step 1: List Relevant Actors Name every person, role, or group that could affect or be affected by the situation. Include those who seem peripheral — they are sometimes the most important.

Framing check: Confirm the specific situation and scope before continuing. State what you've identified — the context, the decision or change at stake, and whose power dynamics are in question — in one sentence, then use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing of the situation, the decision or change involved, and the organisational context]. Is that right?"
• Header: "Framing"
• Options:
  • Yes — proceed — framing is correct
  • Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
  • Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding