This exercise is exclusively for participants on the Strategic Influencer Programme.
The purpose of this exercise is to help you explore what you know about a group that is important to your purpose, and more importantly, what you don’t know.
You will never know everything, but you need to know enough to reduce the risk of making the wrong move, or at least, influencing in an ineffective manner.
For each group you apply this exercise to, you will be well advised to keep it under review. As you go about your work in the weeks following the exercise, you will automatically start to pick up more intelligence. Keep refreshing your analysis.
Additional Reading
If you wish to, you can refer to the following article(s) to deepen your knowledge of this type of analysis. They are taken from previous work so may not tie in exactly with the content of the webinar.
You might also like to search “analysing groups” in the search bar over on the right.
Exercise: Analysing Groups
For each of the following topics, summarise your understanding in a few sentences. Remember to remain as objective and impartial as possible.
Group Title
Group Definition
(for informal groups, describe why it is a group and how you might define/describe it to others)
History / Development Stage
Agenda / Purpose
Structure and Organisation
Culture / Values
Membership
Then, start to draw out some analysis by writing a paragraph or two to answer the following points:
Significant Problems/Challenges
Where is it going wrong?
Trends and changes
Internal opinion
Internal conflict
What is going really well?
What are its achievements?
More Analysis
As said earlier, you’ll need to complete this for all of the major groups within your arena that could have a big impact on what you are doing. This may take a great deal of time so the sooner this slips into your general approach the better. As time passes, keep coming back and refreshing your knowledge.
The Gautrey Influence Blog
Ever felt overlooked, unheard, or stuck in office politics? You’re not alone. The Gautrey Influence Blog breaks down the real-world strategies behind leadership, influence, and power—giving you the tools to be heard, respected, and successful. Join 35,000+ professionals getting ahead the smart way—subscribe now..
Benchmark your Influence: Take the Master of Influence Assessment (Free for Subscribers!)
[Subscribe & Take the Assessment]
