Banging on open doors? Stakeholder dialogue and the challenge of business engagement for UK NGOs

Abstract

In recent years, increased pressure from civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has heightened the need for companies to engage with their critics. As the notion of corporate social responsibility has come to the fore in the business world, there has been a rapid expansion in the commitment to stakeholder engagement and dialogue. The changing relationship between NGOs and businesses is examined by focusing upon the impact of stakeholder dialogue processes on these relationships in the United Kingdom. The use of new social movement theory in identifying NGOs as key ‘secondary’ stakeholders is highlighted. Further application of new social movement research can provide key insights into the pressures of institutionalisation that may face groups engaging in dialogue. Empirical data on stakeholder dialogue is utilised and comparisons are made with the experiences of European environmental movements during the 1980s and 1990s. The potential for institutionalisation that accompanies opportunities for engagement is considered, as are the mechanisms through which NGOs seek to contain this threat.