Stakeholders Engage
Enhanced legacy & sustainability
Scope & review risks, vulnerability & impact
Introducing phase 1 of Tandem: how to build transdisciplinary labs for co-production
Introducing identifying stakeholders
Stakeholder analysis is a powerful tool for understanding both the external and internal dynamics of a lab. Externally, such analysis helps identify who holds power and who is already active; it also helps identify which actors should be engaged. Internally, it supports reflection by revealing gaps in representation or capacity that may limit the lab’s impact. Crucially, mapping should go beyond the current landscape to ask: Who is missing, and why? Ensuring a diversity of perspectives, knowledge systems, and areas of expertise is essential for creating meaningful and inclusive change. Diverseteams not only enrich understanding but also help raise and challenge unconscious biases that may be embedded in individual disciplines.
Stakeholder analysis can be carried out through workshops (some of which are suggested below), interviews, or desk research. Findings can then be recorded in a stakeholder map or a simple table. The table template included as a resource is designed to help you keep track of those you want to engage with, how you plan to connect with them, and the status of that engagement.
It’s important that this stage is approached thoroughly and iteratively – ideally alongside the scoping phase. This helps ensure that a broad and inclusive range of voices shapes the lab’s direction. When combined with interdisciplinarycollaboration, a well-executed stakeholder analysis equips transdisciplinary labs to generate richer insights and effectively engage with the complex systems they aim to transform.
Questions
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Who can provide climate (and non-climate) information? Which actors may be intermediaries or boundary partners to collaborate in the co-production process? (Note: potential partners may have been working in the region a long time, and may have strong relationships with stakeholders; this can enable better uptake and embedding of any processes.) [KB1] What expertise can they provide?
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Which organizations, institutions and departments provide relevant sectoral expertise and experience needed?
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What gaps in skills or expertise may need to be filled through additional partnerships?
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What are different stakeholders’ (users, intermediaries and providers) roles and responsibilities in influencing or managing the adaptation challenge (and related issues) identified in the Scoping stage?
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Which groups are impacted on the ground (e.g., at the community level) and can provide representative voice(s)?
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Which (and whose) decisions and actions can influence the resilience of the system? Which actors are impacted by these issues, are vulnerable to them, or consider them important? What are the relationships between these actors?
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Which institutional actors are critical to engage in this process? Consider, for example, the local meteorological department; health services; national government; local government decision-makers and councillors; the private sector; and civil society.
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Can champions or change agents be identified in these organizations?
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For the different actors identified, what are most pertinent adaptation challenges to deal with first?
Tandem resources
The resources are intended as options to support you in facilitating this stage by creating canvases to explore the Tandem guiding questions collectively. We encourage you to consider your specific context and needs. Adapt the materials as necessary to ensure that they are relevant and effective.

Tandem Capacity Development Modules

Tandem facilitation canvases PDF
