Mapping Power & Money

Detailed Plan

Step 1: Introducing the Activity (5 min)

FACILITATOR: Understanding power relationships and the flow of resources that shape the problem we are trying to solve will be crucial in helping us strategize effectively, adapt to new events or changes, and evaluate our progress.

Power-mapping is a common community-organizing technique used to visually represent relevant stakeholders relative to an issue, the types of power they have, and how they relate to one another regarding a specific issue or problem. Like other maps, power maps help users orient themselves in relation to the world around them. These maps can be used for specific actions or campaigns with tight timelines and focused objectives—like planning an action or event—but can also be used for bigger, ongoing efforts, like coalition-building.

Unlike most other maps, they are likely to change—sometimes dramatically in response to new events or circumstances. When the power dynamics of a situation around displacement changes—for example, a new development is planned, or a new policy is put into place—power maps change, too.

Before we go into more detail, let’s take a minute to draw from the experiences of the group.

Step 2: Group Big-Picture Questions (5 min)

FACILITATOR: We’re curious to know from you all how or why you think mapping power might be useful. Does anyone have any ideas or experiences that speak to why we might want to map the power dynamics around an issue or campaign?

Follow up with:

• Has anyone in the room done power-mapping before?
• How did it go? What did you do/learn?

INSTRUCTIONS: Recognize (verbal or written) experiences shared by the group. This information can be used to build or reinforce reviewing the basics of mapping power and money in the next step.

Step 3: Reviewing the Basics (5 min)

FACILITATOR: Let’s recap what we’ve learned so far:

• The role of power-mapping is to help you orient your group to the other stakeholders involved in the issue you are engaging, and to help you strategize about how to both build power and change power relationships between other stakeholders.
• The goal of a power map is to clearly represent power relationships between the stakeholders involved in the issue you are engaging.
• The core elements of a useful power map include:
  • The relevant stakeholders (individuals, groups, institutions, etc.)
    • For example: the mayor, tenants, city planners, allied community groups
  • The types of power that stakeholders have (individually or collectively)
    • For example: political power, people power, financial resources, land ownership
  • The relationships between stakeholders
    • Who is allied with who? Who is opposed to whom? Who has power over whom?

FACILITATOR: Let’s review a couple of examples to help you become more familiar:

• Example #1: This community map focusing on displacement in Chelsea identifies the different systems, how they relate, and the types of power they hold.
• Example #2: This community map focusing on displacement issues lists and connects the different actors, roles, relationships, and types of power they each hold in the community.
• Example #3: This community map illustrates the different actors involved in passing an ordinance for a food policy council in Everett. It shows how actors, their influence, and their connections to one another can ultimately work to reach City Council (the “target”).

FACILITATOR: As a very flexible tool, power maps can take many different forms, and how they take shape will likely evolve as you refine your analysis of the situation and as new events or changes occur. At the same time, all of the examples have the same core elements previously mentioned:

• They show who the key “actors” or stakeholders are.
• They show how the actors are related to one another.
• They show how power is embedded within these relationships.

Step 4: Group Work — Produce Power Maps: “Displacement in My Community” (15 min)

FACILITATOR: We’re going to dive right into creating our own power map for resisting displacement. While there are lots of power-mapping formulas out there, our priority is to start with what we know, allowing our analysis to guide map formation, rather than imposing a predetermined format without knowing in advance if it’s right for us. That means that today, we’re producing our first draft(s), and we will conclude this exercise by agreeing on a plan for how to synthesize and refine what we’ve produced into the final product (which we know will keep changing). This means that we can focus on being analytical and creative without needing to worry about how every detail is going to be fine-tuned.

INSTRUCTIONS: The power map should be focused on the group’s objective. The power map can be focused on a broad issue, such as resisting displacement, but it can also be focused on a specific effort or event, like a teach-in or an election.

• Group participants into clusters of 2-3.
• Every group should have paper, markers, and sticky notes.
• Ask each group to make a map—a visual representation—of the power relationships and money that are shaping your effort/issue.
• Encourage groups to use different shapes, sizes, and arrows to represent the 3 core elements of power and money maps [refer to prior flip chart]:
  • The relevant stakeholders
  • The types of power and money that stakeholders have
  • The relationships between stakeholders
• Let the groups know that how you arrange the page is up to your group!
  • Share this hint: It might be helpful to start with sticky notes so you can move things around!

Step 5: Show & Tell (10 min)

INSTRUCTIONS: Ask each group to take turns sharing their power and money map with the larger group. When they do so, they should answer the 3 questions from the flip chart:

1. Why did you choose this way of presenting power and money?
2. How would you develop it further or go deeper?
3. How would you use it?

Step 6: Discussion & Planning (15-20 min)

FACILITATOR: Now that we’ve gotten feedback from all the groups, it’s time to reflect on the different power-mapping techniques that have emerged from your work. Now, our goal is to figure out how to finalize our shared power map so that it can be useful and in service of our larger goals.

Since power maps are meant to be revised and adapted as circumstances change, let’s start by thinking about the structure and form of the map, rather than the specific content (e.g., which actors are included).

Open the discussion by asking the group, What have you done and witnessed other groups do today?

What strategies or techniques do you envision for representing stakeholders / relationships between stakeholders / types of power in the power maps in the room that you think we should adopt for our shared vision?

• An alternative way to ask this: What did other groups do that helped you see the stakeholders / the relationships between stakeholders / types of power in a new or clearer way?
• Follow up each comment with: How do you think that will make the map more useful for our purposes?

What do we as a group still need to figure about out how to represent stakeholders / types of power / relationships?

• Follow up each comment with: How do you think that will make the map more useful for our purposes?

What other information have we uncovered? Are there specific forms of research we need to do in order to have enough information for an effective and actionable power map?

• Follow up each comment with: How do you think that will make the map more useful for our purposes?

INSTRUCTIONS: During this discussion, you or the note taker will record comments on flip charts—1 for each core element (Actors/Stakeholders, Relationships, Types of Power) divided into 2 sections (1). What worked well? (2). What do we still need to figure out? During the discussion, attempt to synthesize any duplicate/overlapping suggestions, and gain consensus about which ideas/suggestions to incorporate into the final power map.

INSTRUCTIONS: Depending on the size of your group and the number of power maps created, you and the group may decide to further refine the structure and format of your power maps before discussing the content. For example, the group may decide to take elements from several of the maps presented to create a single, shared power map. In this case, it might make sense to facilitate a follow-up activity focusing on designing a shared power map, and then diving into the content questions so that everyone is working from the same map. Alternatively, you could focus on the content questions of one or two maps depending on the group’s priorities.

If you plan to have a discussion about content during this activity, the following questions can guide you. The goal is to ensure that all of the relevant information for your context and problem is accounted for.

FACILITATOR: Now let’s pivot from the structure and format to think more about the content. Here, we want to reflect on specific stakeholders, types of power, and relationships, and understand if there are any gaps in our understanding that we need to address and how to make these maps actionable.

• First, review the stakeholders that have been listed. Is there any individual, group or organization that is missing representation? If so, is there consensus on including them, or do we need more information?
• Second, think about the types of power that have been suggested. Does anyone notice ways we can more accurately label the different types of power? Are there any types of power that you think affect the issue of displacement but have not yet been accounted for?
• Finally, consider the relationships between stakeholders. Have all of the important connections been noted? Are there any gaps in our understanding, and if so, how can we fill them? Do we need more information?

INSTRUCTIONS: Based on the time available and the composition and goals of the group, you may also decide to focus instead on engaging the group in a discussion on how to use the power maps for action. Whether or not this is appropriate at this stage will depend on how much you plan to revise and synthesize the maps after the activity. If you plan to have this discussion during the activity, the following questions may guide you.

FACILITATOR: Ask the group these questions to discuss how the group can use the power maps for action.

• How can we use these maps for our decision-making? What decisions do we need to make?
• Where and how can we take action?
• What else do we need to know, research to make this actionable?
• Are there specific campaigns, efforts to prioritize?
• Are there specific targets to prioritize?
• How do we want to synthesize the maps produced here?
• How do we want to adapt the maps as circumstances, events change?

INSTRUCTIONS: Record comments on sticky notes to position on the most relevant parts of the map. For example, if the group identifies an action for a specific actor, then you would place that action next to the actor on the map.