COMPEL Glossary / coalition-analysis
Coalition Analysis
Coalition analysis is a stakeholder management technique that maps the formal and informal alliances, power relationships, shared interests, and competing agendas among individuals and groups within an organization to understand who can be brought together to support transformation and who may collectively resist it.
What this means in practice
It goes beyond individual stakeholder analysis to examine how stakeholders influence each other, form blocks of support or opposition, and shift allegiances based on perceived outcomes. For AI transformation, coalition analysis is essential because transformation success depends on building sufficient organizational support to overcome entrenched resistance. In COMPEL, coalition analysis is a key diagnostic skill covered in Module 2.2, Article 7 on stakeholder and political landscape assessment, and is critical for the multi-stakeholder dynamics addressed at the AITGP level in Module 3.2, Article 8.
Why it matters
Understanding individual stakeholder positions is insufficient for navigating organizational dynamics — what matters is how stakeholders influence each other, form alliances, and shift positions based on perceived outcomes. Coalition analysis reveals the power structures and shared interests that determine whether transformation initiatives receive the organizational support needed to succeed. Leaders who map coalitions before launching initiatives avoid costly political missteps.
How COMPEL uses it
Coalition analysis is a key diagnostic skill used during the Calibrate stage's stakeholder and political landscape assessment within the People pillar. The analysis identifies which coalitions can be mobilized to support transformation and which may resist. During Organize, coalition insights inform governance structure design and stakeholder engagement strategies. The Model stage uses coalition analysis to sequence initiatives in an order that builds progressive organizational support.
Related Terms
Other glossary terms mentioned in this entry's definition and context.