The Secret to Stakeholder Management
From the Voices on Project Management Blog
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Voices on Project Management offers insights, tips, advice and personal stories from project managers in different regions and industries. The goal is to get you thinking, and spark a discussion. So, if you read something that you agree with--or even disagree with--leave a comment.
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By Mario Trentim
According to Le Chatelier’s Principle, any change in the status quo prompts an opposing reaction in the responding system. Although Henry Louis Le Chatelier was a chemist, his principle applies to project management, right?
No project occurs in isolation: Each inevitably disturbs the environment because it stems from the organization’s structure, politics and strategic objectives. So, it’s no wonder that some projects can’t succeed despite a project manager’s best efforts.
To make things happen, you need a support coalition of powerful and/or influential stakeholders. But how can you get the necessary buy-in for a project?
Let me assure you: You will fail if you try to guess what is in your stakeholders’ heads. We all have a natural tendency to do that because, by nature, we feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. That explains why we are always trying to "fill the gaps."
What does this have to do with project management? Everything. Project managers must overcome two biases that pose obstacles to successful stakeholder management.
The first is that we see the project from our perspective, which leads us to narrowly identify stakeholders. Forgetting to include the project’s "hidden stakeholders" can be catastrophic.
The second, which I believe is bigger, is that we conduct stakeholder assessment and analysis with preconceived thoughts and distorted vision.
The secret to stakeholder management is obvious: You cannot catch fish using your favorite food as a bait. You have to use the fish’s favorite food!
When assessing stakeholders and strategizing how to engage them in your project, be sure to do your homework. When possible, ask your stakeholders directly about their expectations regarding the project.
This diagram offers an overview of potential stakeholder interview questions:
(Monteleone Consulting, 2010“Generic Questions for Interviewing Stakeholders”)
Of course, to a certain extent you need to be skeptical of the answers your questions elicit. My MBA students always ask me: How do you know if a stakeholder is telling the truth?
My answer is simple: you don't. You cannot tell for sure if a stakeholder is trying to manipulate the project (and you). But here’s a tip. Keep observing your stakeholders' behaviors and attitudes. Always put yourself in the stakeholders' shoes and discuss hypothetical scenarios with your core stakeholder management team.
Here is a worst-case scenario: I once had a sponsor who was against the project. I admit it took me some time to realize that he would do everything he could to make the project fail.
How did I discover the truth?
I’ll explain in my next post—don’t miss it. Until then, share your thoughts. What would you do in this situation?
Posted
by
Mario Trentim
on: March 12, 2015 01:51 PM |
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Comments (1)
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Sujith Kattathara
Founder, CEO| FreelanceTeams Private Limited
Ernakulam, Kerala, India
Hi Mario
Thank you for sharing this interesting problem to fight.
I have several questions in this context:
1. What is the political culture in the organization? Do Executives run their fiefdoms, is it a collaborative environment, or is it something in between?
2. What are the likely reasons why the Sponsor wants your project to fail? Was it initiated questioning his/her authority? Does it reduce his sphere of influence? Can we figure out some way of containing this impact while going ahead with the project? If yes, would the Sponsor listen to you presenting this alternative?
3. Is there another Executive leader who can intercede on your behalf?
4. Is there another Executive leader who can sponsor the project? BTW, this question may take us back to question 1.
Finally, the decision may be as simple as: Cut your losses & move on.
BTW, I have written a Post on steps to effective Stakeholder management, to which the link is attached below.
http://www.pmexcell.com/steps-and-tools-to-improve-stakeholder-management/
Please see the template called "Stakeholder Engagement matrix" under the "Analyze stakeholders" section - This template can be used to collate the findings from your Stakeholder questionnaire.
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