Dealing with Difficult Stakeholders

 

The Model

For the sake of simplicity, let’s think in two dimensions--attitude toward the project and the impacts of the project upon a stakeholder or group of stakeholders. By comparing these two dimensions, we can create a simple chart around which to frame a discussion.

First, note that the dimensions are spectrums and not absolute values. Thus, a stakeholder’s attitude toward a project can range from very negative, to neutral, to very positive and the same about the impacts of the project to the stakeholder. Also bear in mind that in a project with multiple stakeholders, each group (and each person) can score differently, with different possible corrective actions. The next step is to discuss what may occur in each of the four quadrants.

Better Selling

In this quadrant, the stakeholder likely does not understand that the project is actually going to benefit him. It may be that through gossip, he has heard wrong things about the project, or he may even simply misunderstand certain aspects of the project. There are many possible reasons that can…

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