Articulating Design Decisions, 3rd Edition

Chapter 5. Identifying Stakeholder Values

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Now that we’ve taken time to understand our stakeholders and ask better questions, we can begin identifying what’s important to them: their values.

Everyone has a set of values that guides their decisions. Some are inherited from our home culture and family of origin. Others are shaped over time as we encounter new experiences throughout our lives. More still are absorbed from the working environments we’ve been a part of. And of course, our role and job title dictate a lot about what’s important to us in the context of a meeting.

An Exercise in Values

With this in mind, let’s walk through a simple exercise to identify the values of a stakeholder you work with. Perhaps it is your boss or another leader at your company. It could be anyone whose support you need in your work. Call them to mind, consider what you know about them, and think about what truly drives their perspective.

This exercise is simple: create two columns—one for your values, and one for your stakeholder’s— ...