Power and Influence Mapping Tool
Map formal and personal power bases, assess stakeholder countervailing power and resistance, and select an influence approach that fits the relationship and decision context.
Use power deliberately—then choose the lowest-cost influence route that can work.
This original INDENTRA educational tool uses French and Raven power-base concepts to distinguish positional and personal power, then combines them with stakeholder trust, alignment, countervailing power and resistance.
Power and Influence Mapping Tool — Step by Step
Eight locked stages build the power-base profile, map the stakeholder, apply an authority-loss challenge and conclude with a management view.
Establish the Power and Influence Context
Power Bases, Stakeholder Map and Influence Strategy
Reveal the influence context to begin.
Six power bases create different influence opportunities and risks.
Legitimate
Formal role, mandate, governance responsibility and recognized decision rights.
Reward
Control of valued resources, opportunities, recognition, access or other positive outcomes.
Coercive
Capacity to impose consequences or restrictions. Legitimate in some contexts, but higher relationship risk.
Expert
Credible knowledge, experience or judgement that others value and choose to rely on.
Referent
Respect, identification, relationship quality and willingness to maintain affiliation or connection.
Informational
Access to, interpretation of or connection between information that is important to the decision.
Educational use
This is an original INDENTRA educational mapping tool inspired by French and Raven power-base concepts. Scores are illustrative situational signals, not a validated psychometric assessment or a permanent stakeholder label.
Build Your Own Power and Influence Scenario
Experiment Mode is isolated from the guided demonstration. Adjust all ten power and stakeholder conditions and observe how the recommended influence route changes.
Quick Knowledge Check
Power and Influence Mapping Cues
Map the Power Base
Identify which influence capacity comes from position and which travels with expertise, information or relationships.
Map the Stakeholder
Assess stakeholder power, alignment, trust and resistance rather than assuming formal hierarchy tells the whole story.
Prefer Portable Power
Expert, referent and informational power often remain useful when reporting lines or formal authority change.
Use Authority Proportionately
Legitimate authority is appropriate when real decision rights exist; do not overstate authority that the stakeholder does not recognize.
Use Coercion Sparingly
Mandatory boundaries and consequences may be legitimate, but repeated reliance can increase resistance and relationship damage.
Match the Influence Route
Choose evidence, consultation, reciprocity, formal direction or escalation according to the actual power relationship and issue.
Map formal and personal power, assess the stakeholder relationship, and use the lowest-cost influence route that can protect the outcome and the working relationship.