What Is Stakeholder Mapping

Understanding Stakeholder Mapping for Engagement, Compliance, and Risk Management

Updated March 2025 | | | | |

Stakeholder mapping is a structured approach used to identify, categorise, and prioritise stakeholders based on their level of influence, interest, power, and potential impact on a project, operation, or management system. It helps organisations manage relationships, anticipate resistance, and design effective engagement strategies aligned with compliance and performance goals.

Stakeholder mapping is a foundational process in the development of ISO 45001-compliant Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) systems, but it is equally valuable in strategic planning, operational rollouts, and change management.

Why Stakeholder Mapping Matters

Stakeholder mapping provides clarity on who matters, why they matter, and how best to engage them. It ensures that diverse interests are acknowledged early, risks of resistance are minimised, and communication is targeted and efficient. For OH&S systems, it supports compliance with Clause 4.2 – Understanding the Needs and Expectations of Interested Parties in ISO 45001.

Key Factors in Stakeholder Assessment

Stakeholders are assessed using a combination of attributes that influence their significance to the project or operation:

Applications of Stakeholder Mapping

Stakeholder mapping is used across OH&S systems, operational rollouts, compliance strategy, and major project implementation to:

Stakeholder Mapping Tools

A variety of tools help visualise stakeholder relationships and guide strategic engagement:

Effective stakeholder mapping supports transparency, builds trust, and provides a clear foundation for developing inclusive, compliant, and risk-aware systems.

The goal is to identify who affects or is affected by a project or system, assess their influence and interest, and plan engagement strategies that improve outcomes and minimise resistance.

It supports Clause 4.2 of ISO 45001 by helping organisations understand the needs and expectations of interested parties, and ensures these are reflected in OH&S objectives and risk management plans.

Common tools include the Power-Interest Matrix, Onion Diagram, and PESTLE Analysis—each offering a unique lens to assess stakeholder influence and proximity to a system or project.