Empowerment Maps systemically analyse webs of interrelationship within and between families, communities, organisations and networks, mapping stakeholders and power relations.
Empowerment map adaptations include detailed analysis and tracking of stakeholder interactions, social support networks, different types of power inequality, leadership and peer sharing strategies, markets and value chains, institutions for advocacy campaigns.
empowerment map:
diagram Template
What are Empowerment Maps?
GAMEChange Empowerment Maps help participants to see ‘the bigger picture’ of people, institutions and forces that present opportunities and challenges to achieving their visions. They have evolved from other established diagram tools like Circle, Venn or chapati diagrams and systems maps. They combine and clarify on one diagram:
- elements of very complex ‘web’ systems as symbols and shapes around the central ‘spider’ working for change
- different types of interrelationship: as lines, arrows and boundaries connecting the elements
- entry points, priorities and strategies for change: colour-coding priority support and peer sharing networks to be strengthened or change with specific timeframes.
- changes tracked over time: colour-coding different elements, their relationship and achievements/challenges in strategies used
Participants add more details or draw new update maps as they gain experience. This helps them to reflect on strategies that can strengthen positive elements or relationships and address negative challenges.
Empowerment Map adaptations
- Empowerment Leadership Map: analyses support networks and power relations to plan and how to work towards a vision, including peer sharing of tools to help others.
- Market and value chain map: identifies possibilities for market diversification and increasing gender inclusion in markets:
- Financial resource mapping: identifies the range of different sources of finance and their opportunities and challenges.
- Stakeholder analysis
- Institutional governance mapping: institutional governance map to look at inter-organisational decision-making and power relations and how they can be changed.
- Institutional advocacy mapping: mapping powerful institutions and strategies to influence them.
- Information Systems mapping: to look at information flows and structures of power and transparency within and between organisations.
- Concept mapping: shapes can represent different dimensions of a concept, showing how they are related and which are most important.
Web elements:
symbols and shapes
Mapping the elements of a web system or concept make use of the whole surface available:
- a web system may radiate out from a single middle person, institution or concept or they may have several different starting ‘spiders’.
- shapes or symbols clarify common and distinct features between different elements eg people, institutions, markets.
- colours, shapes and/or symbols clarify which elements are similar and which are different.
- position on the page clarify elements as isolated, groups and/or overlapping elements, elements inside or next to other elements.
These web systems can be as simple or as complex as required by the issue and/or capacities of the ‘spiders’.
Interrelationships:
lines arrows and boundaries
The types of interrelationship between the elements are shown as lines and arrows of:
- different direction: to and/or from the spider and/or between elements
- different colour: for different types of relationship eg love/friendship, money, power
- different thickness: for the strength of the relationship
Living Maps:
Action learning/building networks
Living action learning map that is revisited, tracking progress, analysing what works and does not work, and and tracked over time, not left in a drawer until the next workshop or visit by the donor.
Consistent colour coding so that the map and action plan remain clear. It is best to start with a draft in pencil, but then distinguish:
- red ‘ripe fruits’ as drawings and/or circles for vision and achievements/actions done.
- black ‘native fruits’ as drawings and/or circles for what was already ‘in the culture’ – good and bad.
- green ‘unripe fruits’ are drawings and/or circles of positive things/actions planned but not yet achieved. Green fruits should always be there – once one fruit is ripe, think of some new green fruits to grow more.
- blue ‘perished fruits’ are drawings, crosses and/or circles for things/actions to be avoid in future, that you no longer want or you know now from experience will not work.
Sharing the maps:
leadership and Movement building
Empowerment maps build networks and develop leadership.
- Share the steps with other people in your households, communities and networks so that they can do their own map. Their map should follow the same steps, but must be be their map, not anyone else’s.
- Meet together regularly to share experiences of what works and what does not work.
- Develop collective plans over time for individual and collective actions to support each other – change starts with the individual, that is where you have responsibility and some control, But not all things can be done alone. And not everything should be just for you if you want a community, society or world that is good to live in.
IMPORTANT NOTE: some maps must remain confidential, particularly those showing interpersonal relationships. Always ask people before looking at their maps or asking them to share.
Steps for an Empowerment Leadership Map
STEP 1 empowerment Vision: how will i look if i am empowered and happy?
- Think first how you are now. Are you happy or sad, confident or frightened, healthy or sick, educated or not, never had the opportunity to attend school, what work do you do?
- Then think about people you admire. What are their characteristics?
- Finally think how will you be as ‘the ideal you’ – the future you who brings about positive change for your self and those around you.
Draw yourself as the ‘ideal you’: the powerful spider at the centre of the relationship web you will build. Draw in pencil so you can change at the end if you wish. Take your time. And put the date at the top.
STEP 2 Which People and Institutions are Important in my Life?
The next step on your individual leadership webs draw around you the different people and institutions who are ‘important’ in your life; working outwards from the centre, putting those who are most important closest to you. Make sure you draw people in different colours, shapes, sizes, characteristic objects etc so you can recognise them later.
Include any groups you are a member of eg savings groups, religious groups, ‘important people’ are not necessarily only your immediate household or even the wider family. It could include eg banks, or even the president.
STEP 3: Growing the Web and Building Networks for Change
For these people/institutions:
- Ring in red any who are already part of your network
- Ring in green any who are likely to be sympathetic but who you need bring into your web. Put a very thick ring around those who may be most powerful in support.
- Ring in blue any who are likely to oppose your vision. Put a very thick ring around those who are most powerful in opposition. These are people you can either leave, or persuade through working with others.
- Put arrows between people and institutions who are linked – differentiate the type and strength of the linkage through colour and thick/thin line and direction.
- Put a very thick green circle around the main entry points as key targets for a change strategy.
STEP 4: Action priorities
Then put very thick green circles around about 5 targets and think concretely about:
- what will you do? eg will you share any of the tools? lobby or provide other information? put people in contact with others?
- what will be the timeframe? at least one activity for each target within one month, however small, and other strategies over a longer time if necessary.
Step 5 Track, update and continue
Review progress on the maps at both both individual and collective levels – turning green elements red. Identifying new targets and actions in green.
And feel free to make the ‘new empowered you’ in the centre of the web even more beautiful. And appreciate the strength and reach of your web.
At the bottom right you can also put a symbol for how you felt before to think how far you have come.
Logo and songs
Allocate some time for adding elements from the empowerment web to the song and logo design process.
Toolkit Facilitation Examples
Empowerment maps start with a snapshot analysis of elements and their interrelationships at a a particular point in time. Sometimes they analyse completely separate topics from the other GAMEChange tools – for example family and community relationships, markets, organisations. They may analyse or incorporate opportunities, challenges or elements of vision/targets/relationships from the Change Journey, Action Tree or Diamond Vision.
Individual maps can be quantified in groups and/or aggregated for an overview of for example local institutions, markets. Maps that start by looking at ‘big’ and therefore complicated issues, may need to be subdivided into smaller and more manageable questions before being put back together on a ‘parent map’.
Although all maps can be adapted for research and impact assessment, the aim is not the analysis itself, but to generate a clear idea of ways forward, with new or improved relationships or access to opportunities that can be tracked over time.
BUT REMEMBER: if issues are sensitive remember that personal maps are personal. It should always be clear the people should only be asked to share what they are comfortable to share.
Change Leadership Map
Developed in 2017 for SNV Ethiopia with Sara de Smet and SNV staff and champions as part of a PALS Toolkit for Gender and Youth in Horticulture Markets project.
Leadership Web
Developed in 2020 for Oxfam Novib with Katja Koegler and partners in Mali, Niger and Pakistan for Marriage is No Child’s Play project.
Business Innovation Market Map
Developed in 2019 for IFAD with Asel Kuttubaeva for Business Action Learning for Innovation (BALI) methodology as part of IFAD’s Rural Women Economic Empowerment Joint Project in Kyrgyzstan
Financial Empowerment Map
Developed in 2017 for Oikocredit with Intan Dharmawati, Malou Juanito and partners NWTF and ASKI in Philippines for Financial Action Learning System (FALS) methodology as part of Oikocredit’s Bridging the Gender Gap in Responsible Finance project.
Peer sharing and leadership strengthening
!! to be further developed including more details from Uganda and Ethiopia and examples from Rwanda
It is useful to use:
- transformatory drama for participants to practice how they might facilitate the empowerment map and/or other tools in different contexts from their web: different family members, groups, organisations etc.
- leadership songs to generate a feeling of solidarity with all the other spiders leading change in their webs.