Where successful outcomes for people and organisations are dependent upon the active participation of others in an enterprise, then a strategic plan for effective engagement with those who may have a vested interest in the outcome is critical. Planning for effective stakeholder engagement and ongoing management is now considered a critical aspect of any activity where the sought after outcomes will affect the interests of others as well as your own.
Strategizing and planning in this sense can take many forms, and whilst one definition of a stakeholder is: any individual or group who has a vested interest in the outcome of a body of work … the truth is there are also different classes of interests within, and apart from the garden variety stakeholder. Leading Practice partners understand this and are able to tailor their approaches to their work accordingly.
Leading Practice offers guidance and assistance to develop the key elements of an effective stakeholder engagement strategy or model. Whilst circumstances will differ, and therefore require different responses, there is a best practice approach which should be followed. A communications strategy or plan is commonly part of this approach. Effective communication is essential both in the development of any strategy and its ongoing maintenance. Once acquired, this knowledge can be applied in many other contexts so that thinking strategically about engaging partners and stakeholder becomes second nature and goes hand in hand with success.