106 Trial Monitoring: A Reference Manual for Practitioners ÀÀ Mapping out stakeholders and their level of support As an initial step toward developing an effective advocacy strategy, programme managers can perform a four-step “stakeholder analysis”, as follows: 1. Identify in detail all relevant stakeholders;158 2. Assess the level of each stakeholder’s importance in the success of the programme or of a specific activity; 3. Assess the level of each stakeholder’s support for the programme or specific activity (i.e., whether they are enthusiastic, dependable, neutral, reluctant or opposed); and 4. Juxtapose each stakeholder’s level of importance to their level of support to gain a clear picture of who can be an ally for programme activities and who may need to be approached and convinced. The more crucial the role an actor plays, the more imperative it is to build their support. Performing such an analysis as early as possible in the programme enables managers to consider in advance the views of actors who will play a crucial part in a project. It can also help determine the sensitivities and interests actors have, as well as anticipate what influence they might exercise on others. Consequently, managers can develop targeted strategies to maximize support for the programmes’ initiatives. ÀÀ Building support among stakeholders To build support for a programme and its activities when this is not at the desired level, programme managers will need to determine the causes of the given situation. Principles on how to approach the challenge can be drawn from the field of negotiation and conflict resolution, as well as from public relations. More specifically, managers or staff may decide to meet actors with a negative or indifferent attitude towards the programme and listen actively to their concerns. In such meetings, the interviewer should seek to draw out any needs or fears the stakeholders have, or any issues they think the programme does not take into account. Programme managers then need to decide how to overcome any concerns that were raised. Appealing to an actor’s professionalism and obligation to comply with agreements, domestic law and international standards is a common tactic used to invite co-operation on matters that have been agreed or promulgated by law. Nevertheless, at times this may not be sufficient.159 Managers can explore additional ways to win over a stakeholder; they may explain the particulars of a project or of a recommendation clearly, the benefits it can yield, and the impact a successful outcome will have on the system as a whole and on the concerned stakeholder specifically. Involving supportive, influential actors in convincing the stakeholder of concern is another potential strategy for overcoming resistance. Managers may also consider incorporating suggested elements into a project’s design. If an unsupportive stakeholder’s motives derive from her/his low level of involvement in a project, managers may be able to offer a higher profile role.160 In the end, if support is not likely to be obtained, it is important to consider how an actor’s opposition or inactivity could be neutralized, so that it does not affect the success of an initiative. 158  For instance, it is essential to establish whose co-operation is needed to obtain access; who has a vested interest in the monitoring outcomes and who benefits from them; who has expertise to contribute; who has the responsibility for implementing a recommendation or approving expenditures for its implementation; and who should be involved from a political or organizational perspective. 159  This may be true especially when a reminder of obligations is perceived as patronizing, when a programme’s role is not well understood, when an actor has a different interpretation of the binding texts, or when a programme’s output is seen as unrealistic. 160 As an example, if a judicial council with a co-ordinating and capacity-building role is negatively pre-disposed to the efforts of an international organization to deliver training or establish a case-management system, the programme can seriously consider persuading the council to assume a leading role in these initiatives that fall within its competences.