1. How do I know who my stakeholders are
1.1. The first step is making sure you know who all the important stake holders are for the whole change process - if you forget them now they will remember this when you come to need them later
1.1.1. Rapid Listing is commonly used where there are few stakeholders in a limited change initiative. This is best achieved within a workshop setting
1.1.1.1. Asks participant to list as fast as possible all the stakeholder involved
1.1.1.2. Get into pairs and compare the lists and add any that have been missed
1.1.1.3. Present these to the group and discuss any stakeholders that could have been missed.
1.1.2. Where there are a lot of potential stakeholders - see the Freeman Videos and others in this map - you can develop profiles of stakeholder communities
1.1.2.1. Big Idea: Understanding who the stakeholders are in a change programme starts with the organisation understanding what its purpose.
1.1.2.1.1. Is this about creating value for a few stakeholders like the employee customer shareholder strategies
1.1.2.1.2. Or is it about balancing the interests of all the stakeholders in the business which can be a broad group
1.1.2.1.3. or a noble cause - have a purpose which is about making the world a better place Merck (medicine is about people not about profits)
1.2. Then you need to understand their potential impact on the change project, their influence over its success, their expectations and motivations to see it succeed
1.2.1. From this information you can organise the stakeholders into a Power and Influence grid which may indicate how they need to be engaged - remember this can change over time
1.2.1.1. Those who are powerful but are not interested at this stage of the project may just need to be kept informed
1.2.1.2. Powerful and highly interested people who are impacted by the change need to be kept on side
1.2.1.3. Less powerful but highly interested stakeholders will need to be engaged through an effective communication channel
1.2.1.4. In a large organisation these power and influence relationships can be quite complex and one way of doing this is to develop power maps
1.2.1.4.1. Write down the stakeholders on a white board in a circle
1.2.1.4.2. Draw cause and affect relationships stakeholders have with each other as a single headed arrow TWO HEADED ARROWS ARE NOT ALLOWED - cause ->effect
1.2.1.4.3. Tally the ingoing and outgoing arrows for each stakeholder or stakeholder group
1.2.2. They can then start building a picture of each stakeholder groups likely reaction to change
1.2.2.1. Lynda Bourne does this by developing an attitude grid for the stake holders.
1.2.2.1.1. Her starting point is to think about three questions
1.2.2.1.2. From this she then think about their likely attitudes to change based on two dimensions
1.2.2.2. The starting point is to analyse their likely roles in the change initiative by categorising them within different segments
1.2.2.2.1. Partners - supportive
1.2.2.2.2. Allies - support with encouragement
1.2.2.2.3. Fellow travellers - passive supporters
1.2.2.2.4. Fence sitters - not clear
1.2.2.2.5. Loose Canons - no direct interest but can say no
1.2.2.2.6. Opponents - players who oppose your agenda
1.2.2.2.7. Adversaries - oppose you and the agenda
1.2.2.2.8. Bedfellows - support the agenda but not you
1.2.2.2.9. Voiceless - stakeholders with little power
1.2.3. This information could then be used to analyse the stakeholders percieved benefits and dis benefits - a benefit to one group might be a disbenefit to another to develop a Stakeholder Register
1.2.3.1. One of the reasons that the expectations to the project changes is that stakeholder groups can be going through different stages of the change curve
1.2.3.1.1. Big Idea:The leaders of change are likely to be at a different point on that change curve than other stakeholders or stakeholder communities - which means they may not yet have come to terms with the change so aren't resistant as much as adjusting
1.2.3.1.2. Mayfields DREAM model - could be used in combination with the Kubler Ross curve to track the position of stakeholders as part of a review
1.2.3.1.3. Personas and Empathy Maps can be helpful in understanding these stakeholder motivations at each of these stages
1.2.3.1.4. Another way of thinking about this the to use the Beckhard and Harris change formula to gauge change readiness of stakeholders over time
1.2.3.2. One way of capturing the transient nature of this register as stakeholders go through change is to use the concept of a Change Radar which uses the stakeholder influence grid along with motivations to plot stakeholders as they come in and out the VNGC circles
1.2.3.2.1. V - Vital to engage
1.2.3.2.2. N - necessary to engage
1.2.3.2.3. G - good to engage
1.2.3.2.4. C - courtesy to inform
1.2.3.2.5. Understanding the place on the Radar along with the motivations of the group can begin to suggest how each group needs to be engaged with and who needs to do the engaging as these relationships change
1.3. Big Idea There is zero cost of improving stakeholder management because this will insure a greater more certain returns and less money spent on reworking
1.3.1. That's because when things go wrong in projects it is about the people and their relationships because it is them that will bring the greatest success or failure
1.3.2. However, the effectiveness of Stakeholder Engagement depends on the maturity of the organisation in doing this
1.3.2.1. You can't go from nothing to introducing a world class engagement model - it has to be realistic given the organisations current maturity in engaging with stakeholders
1.3.2.2. Lynda's stakeholder mapping maturity model can be found with this link
2. How do I engage with my stakeholders
2.1. This is all about bringing the stakeholders you have identified along with you on the change that is being planned - remember the importance of stakeholders can change - sometimes unpredictably
2.1.1. Success in projects is linked to the relationships between the project team and the stakeholder community
2.1.1.1. Knowing which stakeholders you need to engage with at each stage of the project because the community will change
2.1.1.2. That means that the communication plan needs to change as the interests of this community change
2.1.1.3. In Lynda's experience they fail when these relationships fall down which can be for three key reasons
2.1.1.3.1. The project team and the stakeholders themselves don't know who they are - sposnors in large organisations may not be aware of all the projects they sponsor
2.1.1.3.2. The team may not be clear about the critical success factors of the projects that they are managing and what is expected of them - they too are stakeholders
2.1.1.3.3. And the communication plan isn't an active document which changes as the stakeholder community changes and is implemented
2.1.2. Building these strong relationships with the changing stakeholder community is more important than the software or process you use
2.2. Why is successful communication with these stakeholders critical to their success
2.2.1. This is the only tool for building the relationships that are crucial to the projects success
2.2.2. Every project document, schedule should be thought about as a way to communicate and exchange ideas including schedules spread sheets and more
2.2.3. What makes this communication successful
2.2.3.1. Recognition by the Project Manager that building relationships will take most of their time - 75% +
2.2.3.2. An understanding of the power relationships between the stakeholders in the community
2.2.3.3. Being clear about what the intention of the communication is
2.2.3.4. being clear about people as individuals which is impacted by language, culture, gender, generation, organisational culture and the way they think and see
2.2.3.4.1. Personally I found the ideas about Gender differences being a little trite and didn't recognise that these are ends of a spectrum rather than separate groups.
2.2.3.4.2. You need to think about the audience you are talking to and what they are likely to focus on and miss in what they say feel and hear - Stakeholder profiling perhaps
2.2.4. You also need to understand what the stakeholders expect to gain and lose from the project
2.2.4.1. If these are not met they will regard the project as a failure even if it delivers all of its "objectives".
2.2.4.2. These expectations change and need to be correctly set which will impact what you communicate
3. How do I build a stakeholder strategy?
3.1. How do you develop a stake holder engagement process
3.1.1. Why would stake holders not want to be engaged?
3.1.1.1. They think that the change will have a negative (dis-benefit) to them
3.1.1.2. Uncertainty about what it is that we want to do and the engagement we want
3.1.1.3. They think that the change is counter something that has already been agreed
3.1.1.4. They may not feel that the change we are proposing isn't necessary
3.1.1.5. Or they think that the type of change proposed isn't appropriate/worthwhile at this time
3.1.1.6. They might disagree with the way that the change is being managed
3.1.1.7. Lastly they may have had a bad experience from previous changes that have been made
3.1.2. Using RASCI to get them on board
3.1.2.1. This acronym means
3.1.2.1.1. R - Responsible for getting it done
3.1.2.1.2. A- accountable for approving the project
3.1.2.1.3. S- Support for the project is vital e.g., they build the software
3.1.2.1.4. C - Consult on the project e.g., because they have done this sort of thing before
3.1.2.1.5. I - inform which means just keep them informed about what is going on
3.1.2.2. Then overlay this on the Influence against impact grid of the stakeholders using the concept of supporters and opponents
3.1.2.3. That will then help you define the way that you plan the and manage the communications and relationships - see the video
3.1.3. How can we best do that?
3.1.3.1. Identify and engage with the key stakeholders
3.1.3.2. Relate the needs and objectives of the change with their business needs and problems - first understand before being understood
3.1.3.2.1. This often happens through busyness that can make the change manager so intent on giving stake holders their solution that they don't respect their views which can be more relevant in the real world
3.1.3.2.2. Pride can also get in the way of having the humility to think that other people (perhaps less senior) may have valuable input and know more
3.1.3.2.3. Power and Control which is often a feature of hierarchical organisations can get in the way of finding better real world solutions to problems - employees often have abetter grasp of what is going on
3.1.3.3. Show them that the change is working elsewhere
3.1.3.4. Remember you may not be the right person to engage with them - it may be better to ask someone else e.g., their line manager or other change agent
3.1.3.5. Express the value of what we are trying to do in emotional terms - emotion trumps reason every time
3.1.3.6. Have a clear map to the end state and where we are trying to get to
3.1.3.7. Set clear expectations about the sort of support we need
3.1.3.8. Keep the stakeholders informed about where we are on the journey - often and frequently
3.1.3.9. Make them feel involved throughout the project
3.1.3.10. Let them know about any problems that are on the horizon - son't make them feel ambushed
3.1.3.11. Acknowledge their contribution to any success in the project
3.1.4. Here are some other ways that you can get stakeholders on board
3.1.4.1. Focusing on achieving the required outcomes rather than focusing on managing tasks and processes
3.1.4.2. Keep the right level of energy and tempo through the initiative - to keep interest high (not initial excitement and then tailing off
3.1.4.3. Iterative working to try new ideas in the real world, get feed back from stakeholders and adjust until they are happy
3.2. From this you can build your stakeholder engagement plan that will have the following elements
3.2.1. Develop and agree a communications plan that has clear objectives (see also separate article)
3.2.2. Develop a consistent way of delivering this plan including who should be doing the engagement using RASCI - see video
3.2.2.1. Programme Manager - may engage with senior managers and sponsors of the project through providing reports and analysis but may not be available day to day
3.2.2.2. Business Division Change Manager has a more in depth understanding of what the change is and is more available to engage senior leaders
3.2.2.3. Business Unit Change Manager has in depth knowledge and will work with other department and business units e.g., HR
3.2.2.4. Change agents role is to enable communication up and down the hierarchies using their informal influence to engage
3.2.2.5. Other stakeholder supporters and champions may be used to engage with others who are resisting
3.2.3. Have an agreed way that the objectives of the engagement strategy are being monitored to ensure their delivery and the strategy keeps on track
3.2.3.1. Someone will need to play the role of Communication Analyst to monitor the effectiveness of the plan in engaging stakeholders
3.2.3.2. A Benefits Manager will need to track and celebrate the benefits of success with the team that can be shared with stakeholders
3.2.4. Have an informed way to reprioritize stakeholders and define different engagement strategies - remember stakeholders and their interests are constantly changing
4. What do I need to know about stakeholder engagement
4.1. Trust Research Report
4.2. Stakeholder engagement is the emotional involvement or commitment to delivering a desired outcome which is determined by the stakeholders.
4.2.1. Its about moving people from knowing things to feeling things and then doing something about it
4.3. Big Idea: We need to move from Stakeholder Management to Stakeholder Engagement as we move our understanding about who the stakeholders are and the nature of change projects
4.3.1. Stakeholders are defined by Freeman as " A stakeholder is any group or individual who can affect, or is affected by, the achievement of a corporations purpose"
4.3.1.1. That means those we define as stakeholders has increased over time to include internal and external communities
4.3.2. The starting point for change projects has also changed which has further impacted who we see as stakeholders
4.3.2.1. Traditionally these come from thinking "out of the box" about how to do things differently or innovate which has four elements
4.3.2.1.1. Where are we, where are these things
4.3.2.1.2. When do these things happen
4.3.2.1.3. Why do these things happen
4.3.2.1.4. What is true and false here
4.3.2.2. He argues that all these things have now been broken so there aren't any boxes to think out of
4.3.2.2.1. Where are these things is a spatial question which is no longer relevant in the virtual world
4.3.2.2.2. When do things happen is about time is less relevant with global travel and instant access to things
4.3.2.2.3. Things are increasingly complex which means that it is harder to look for causality - systems thinking
4.3.2.2.4. It is also much harder to be sure about what is true
4.3.2.3. This impacts stakeholder engagement because there are so many more stakeholders - people affected by or can affect the way a corporation achieves its ends.
4.3.3. Increasingly the project manager needs to be seen as like a conductor who needs to listen to a number of melodies all at the same time
4.3.3.1. - each stakeholder could be singing a different song which need to be harmonised into a single one.
4.3.4. Organisational context for change has also changed
4.3.4.1. Traditionally people understood organisations and the environment as machines where causality was easily understood
4.3.4.2. Then there were more pluralistic ideas about organisations as embodying different views and communities of interest
4.3.4.3. Now there is more focus on self management living systems surviving in a hostile environment and life being like a journey
4.3.4.3.1. This may not be obvious in traditional industries but is starting to impact other less traditional ones e.g., in health care
4.3.4.3.2. This impacts the way that people (stakeholders) are engaged where knowledge is more open and becomes even more important
4.3.5. The increasing instances of huge mega projects especially across the far east but also in the UK (HS2) is further driving the extension of who stakeholders are
4.4. But why is stakeholder engagement crucial for the success of projects and change projects in particular
4.4.1. When CEO's are asked what makes for great projects they select 7 factors all of which involve Stakeholder engagement
4.4.1.1. Creating competitive advantage - can only be achieved by engaging stake holders in delivery and transformation
4.4.1.2. Defining a powerful vision and clear need is closely aligned with engaging stakeholders who need to be inspired by it
4.4.1.3. Creating a revolutionary project culture is obviously impossible without engagement from stakeholders
4.4.1.4. Needing a highly qualified project manager is fine but they need to be supported - engagement again
4.4.1.5. Maximising the use of existing knowledge which comes from the stakeholder community inside and outside the organisation
4.4.1.6. Integrated development teams is all about engagement
4.4.1.7. A strong sense of partnership and pride which relies on good engagement from stakeholders
4.4.2. This engagement with stakeholders is crucial for managing risks in projects
4.4.2.1. Lynda Bourne also suggested that the main cause of failure and risk in projects were at route about people issues and stakeholder engagement
4.5. A key benefit of stakeholder involvement is collective thinking - where the group is more powerful than the individual
4.5.1. That requires the best engagement from the right stake holders