Spectrum of Allies
The Spectrum of Allies is a strategy map shaped like a half-circle with five wedges: active support, passive support, neutral, passive opposition and active opposition. A group places specific people and organisations in the wedges and then plans how to move chosen ones a single step in its direction, instead of trying to win over its strongest opponents. The tool comes from George Lakey of Training for Change, which now publishes it under the title Spectrum of Support.
Facilitation script
- 1
State the issue or goal and introduce the five wedges with one example for each.
10 min - 2
Brainstorm specific people and groups on sticky notes and place them in the wedges, in the full group or in small groups.
20 min - 3
Review the chart: challenge vague entries, ask for evidence behind placements and mark what needs research.
15 min - 4
Select the groups to focus on by discussion or a quick vote.
10 min - 5
Brainstorm actions that could move each selected group one wedge closer.
15 min - 6
Agree strategy lessons, next steps and who will follow up on the research gaps.
10 min
Tips
Ask for evidence with every placement: what has this group said or done on the issue recently.
The discussion about where a note belongs is worth more than a tidy chart, so let disagreements run for a while before settling them.
Keep reminding the group that the target is one step, such as neutral to passive support, and that the active opposition rarely needs to change its mind for a campaign to succeed.
Date the chart and revisit it, because positions shift as events unfold.
Common pitfalls
Placing broad categories such as 'the public' or 'management'; they cannot be reached or moved, and the chart gives no direction
Placing groups by assumption or reputation, which builds the strategy on a picture that may be wrong
Trying to turn active opponents into active supporters in one move; effort is wasted where movement is least likely
Stopping when the chart is full, without choosing priorities or actions, so the exercise remains an analysis
Leaving the chart on display where the people named on it can see it, which can harm relationships the group depends on
Variations
Small groups can each build their own spectrum and then compare, which shows how differently people read the same landscape. As a follow-up, have small groups take the role of a neutral or passively opposed group and respond to a proposed action from that position. The same chart can be used after an action to assess how support has shifted. Outside campaigning, it works as a stakeholder analysis for an organisational change, with the wedges read as levels of support for the initiative. Online, draw the wedges on a shared whiteboard and use digital sticky notes.
Where it fits
When to use it
A group is planning a campaign or change and talks about the landscape as 'us against them'
Energy keeps going into arguing with the strongest opponents while people who are undecided get no attention
The group has limited time and people and needs to decide which audiences to work on first
Tactics and messages are being designed and nobody has said who exactly they are meant to move
An action has just happened and the group wants to assess whether anyone shifted position
When not to use it
There is no defined issue or demand yet; positions cannot be placed, so clarify the goal first
The main question is who holds decision-making power and who influences them; use Power Mapping, or combine the two
You need to rank stakeholders by influence and interest for a project plan; a Stakeholder Map is the more direct tool
People from the groups being mapped are in the room; sorting them into opposition wedges in front of them damages trust, so do the mapping with the core team and talk with those groups directly
The group knows very little about the actors involved; do research or interviews first, or the chart will record assumptions
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Spectrum of Allies?▾
Spectrum of Allies is a strategy tool that sorts the people and groups around an issue into five positions, from active support through neutral to active opposition. It is drawn as a half-circle with five wedges. Groups use it to decide whom to focus on and how to move them one step closer.
Who created the Spectrum of Allies?▾
It is credited to George Lakey of Training for Change. The organisation's current version, titled Spectrum of Support, was edited by Zein Nakhoda and draws on adaptations by Beautiful Trouble and frameworks from Movement for a New Society.
Why aim to move groups only one step?▾
A group that is neutral can plausibly become a passive supporter; an active opponent is unlikely to become an ally. Shifting several groups by one position each changes the balance of support, and that is often enough for a campaign to succeed without its direct opponents changing their minds.
How is it different from a stakeholder map?▾
A typical stakeholder map sorts actors by how much influence and interest they have. The Spectrum of Allies sorts them by their stance on your issue and how active they are. The two complement each other: one shows who matters, the other shows where they stand.
Can the Spectrum of Allies be used inside an organisation?▾
Yes. For a change initiative, the wedges can be read as active sponsors, quiet supporters, the undecided, sceptics and active resisters. Take care with how the chart is shared, since colleagues may react badly to finding themselves labelled as opposition.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from George Lakey, Training for Change.