Effective Stakeholder Management Research Articles

Critical success factors for local government project stakeholder management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) for effective project stakeholder management at the local government level in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study used data from questionnaires administered to project stakeholders for identifying and ranking CSFs.FindingsThe study identified the top five CSFs for stakeholder management at the local government level in Ghana to be: communicating with and engaging stakeholders; identifying stakeholders properly; formulating a clear project mission statement; keeping and promoting good relationships; and analyzing stakeholder conflicts and coalitions.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralization of the findings should be done with caution since the scope of data collection was limited to district assemblies in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Nevertheless the results of the study are, however, useful and indicative and can lend direction to future research.Practical implicationsThis paper has contributed to the growing body of knowledge related to CSFs for local government projects. The results should help understand factors which are of priority to stakeholders when assessing their involvement in projects. Further, the findings could form the basis for competency development of local government personnel in specific areas where improvements are required.Originality/valueThe paper identified CSFs for effective project stakeholder management at the local level. Most studies on critical factors in project environments have focused on CSFs and project success and thus this study delves into an area which has not received much attention in the literature.

Using structural equation modelling (SEM) to understand the relationships among critical success factors (CSFs) for stakeholder management in construction

PurposeStakeholder management plays a significant role in successfully delivering construction projects. However, being able to carry out effective stakeholder management in construction is contingent upon understanding the interrelationships among critical success factors (CSFs) for stakeholder management in construction and how they are related to project success (PS). This would enable the persons responsible for stakeholder management to know the logical process for addressing the CSFs in order to get stakeholder management right. The understanding of this relationship has not been addressed. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interrelationships between the CSFs for stakeholder management and PS in construction.Design/methodology/approachFrom an extensive literature review, 23 CSFs for stakeholder management in construction were identified. A conceptual structural equation model (SEM) of the relationships between CSFs was developed (including measurement and structural models) using the groupings of the CSFs for stakeholder management in construction. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from construction industry practitioners. The data so collected were analysed using SEM in analysis of moment structures (AMOS).FindingsThe SEM analysis of data collected resulted in the best fitting measurement model comprising 16 CSFs as indicators of four latent variables, namely, stakeholder characteristics and project characteristics (SCPC); stakeholder analysis (SA); stakeholder dynamics (SD); and stakeholder engagement/empowerment (SE). Furthermore, it was found that only SE has a direct positive impact on PS. The other three constructs SCPC, SA and understanding SD collectively impact on PS through the construct, SE.Research limitations/implicationsThe research reported in this paper was carried out in the UK; hence, the findings may have portrayed the UK construction professionals’ opinion. However, the theoretical principles on which the research was based are general and similar research could be replicated in different countries whose construction procurement processes and industries are structured like those of the UK or otherwise.Practical implicationsThe main contribution of this study to existing knowledge is an empirical evidence of the interrelationships among the CSFs for stakeholder management in construction through their latent variables which is portrayed in the best fitting structural model showing the relationships between the constructs of CSFs for stakeholder management and PS. This should serve as a guide to construction project management team or responsible professionals for undertaking stakeholder management in construction projects.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to theory by empirically identifying the interrelationships among the CSFs for stakeholder management linking to PS which will serve as a guide to construction professionals.

A systematic literature review on software measurement programs

Software measurement programs (MPs) are an important means for understanding, evaluating, managing, and improving software processes, products and resources. However, implementing successful MPs still remains a challenge. To make a comprehensive review of the studies on MPs for bringing into light the existing measurement planning models and tools used for implementing MPs,the accumulated knowledge on the success/failure factors of MPs and mitigation strategies to address their challenges. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted. In total, 65primary studies were reviewed and analyzed. We identified 35 measurement planning models and 11 associated tools, most of which either proposed extensions or improvements for goal based approaches. The identified success factors include (a) organizational adoption of MP, (b) integration of MP with SDLC, (c) synchronization of MP with SPI and (d) design of MP. The mostly mentioned mitigation strategies for addressing challenges are effective change management and measurement stakeholder management, automated tool support and incorporation of engineering mechanisms for designing sustainable, effective, scalable and extendible MPs, and measurement expertise and standards development. Most of the success factors and mitigation strategies have interdependencies. Therefore, for successful MP implementation, software organizations should consider these factors in combination and make a feasibility study at the very beginning.

Developing Transport Infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa through Public–Private Partnerships: Policy Practice and Implications

In contemporary times, Public–Private Partnership (PPP) in transport infrastructure has gained considerable attention in developing regions following its success in the developed countries. However, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is among the developing regions with few transport PPP projects and among the regions with high number of failed projects. Meanwhile the region's transport infrastructure need far exceeds it current provision. This paper therefore aims to examine the project experiences (success and failure factors) of three highly profiled transport PPP projects, namely the Lekki toll road concession project (Nigeria), N4 toll road (South Africa/Mozambique) and Port of Maputo (Mozambique) in order to develop policy measures for effective future implementation. The experiences of the three projects show that transport PPP policy is indeed feasible in SSA. However, to realise its full applicability, proper policy actions and measures must be carefully observed and these include effective and efficient stakeholder management, transparent and competitive tendering process, high participation of local investors, stable macro-economic conditions and strong government commitment and regulatory framework. The projects experiences and policy actions developed are impactful in accelerating transport infrastructure development through PPP approach in SSA. Hence it is hoped that policy-makers and practitioners would be informed on the key strategies to employ in implementing future projects.

The key to carving out a high corporate reputation based on innovation: corporate social responsibility

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to analyze how corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects a firm’s value added. Specifically, through a combination of Stakeholder Theory and specific concept within the Innovation Theory framework (called Social Innovation Capital), this work explores the relation between effective stakeholder management and how marketable innovation production affects a company’s possibility of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. By doing so, new insights on CSR management to gain competitive advantage are provided.Design/methodology/approach– The present study analyzes the role of a firm’s international presence, and the company’s social commitment initiatives as drivers of the enterprise’s corporate intangible assets. A company’s reputation has also been considered as a control variable. To achieve this goal, the Spanish market was analyzed. Specifically, those Spanish companies who had the highest reputation in the global reputation pulse and showed the highest level of brand awareness, according to the latest report published by the Forum of Leading Spanish Brands, were considered.Findings– Findings show that companies including their stakeholders’ interests in the knowledge-creation and innovation process are able to enhance their intangible assets and thus the capitalization of such knowledge. Similarly, firms with international presence have a large number of global stakeholders, which also evidences a positive relation with its intangible assets. By honoring the social contract, firms benefit from stakeholders while contributing to social welfare, creating a win–win situation.Originality/value– This study categorizes how intangible assets can be increased through stakeholder’s involvement and firm’s international presence. Consequently, researchers studying business strategy can incorporate these variables as key elements in strategic planning. Scholars in fields of information systems, operations management, knowledge or supply chain management can also evaluate the inclusion of corporate social responsibility into their studies to evaluate how it reflects on tangible assets, production process, supply chain management or the knowledge production life cycle. Moreover, this work illustrates the convenience of using Innovation Theory in conjunction with the Stakeholder Theory to analyze a firm’s intangible assets enhancement.

Stakeholder Management: A Universal Strategic Health Services Management Approach to Unlock a Profitable Return on Investment

There have been sustained global policy and fiscal pressures for businesses, including health care services to demonstrate unique customer-oriented entrepreneurship capabilities in terms of marketing and innovativeness, influenced by the recent global financial crisis, leading to business closures, budgetary shortfalls, and constant operational challenges for survival. For several health care managers, this entails effectively managing the increasing influence of active and powerful stakeholders to achieve a competitive advantage in terms of productive and allocative efficiency over customer-driven results and innovativeness. A focus on value addition by itself is a precursor of effective stakeholder management, clinician leadership model, and a decentralized activity based management, which integrates customer values from basic and expected services to desired and unexpected services as well as combining product quality and high quality customer services needed to usher a competitive advantage to organizations through cost leadership or product differentiation. However, a stakeholder management tool that is universally applicable across all health care business entities is still work in progress. This paper debated upon relevant previous literature on stakeholder management as a central feature for customerdriven business practices, for implementation in form of a universal stakeholder management tool, in order to advance sound entrepreneurship capabilities that support dynamic high quality customer care-driven health care and innovation.

Stakeholder management studies in mega construction projects: A review and future directions

The complex and uncertain nature of mega construction projects (MCP) require an effective stakeholder management (SM) approach to accommodate conflicting stakeholder interests. Previous reviews regarding SM in construction sector are generic as their attentions have been placed on relatively small scale projects. A systematic review on SM studies in relation to MCP seems to be lacking. This paper analyzes the latest research development of this domain by reviewing selected articles published from 1997 to 2014. Four major research topics are identified: “stakeholder interests and influences”, “stakeholder management process”, “stakeholder analysis methods” and “stakeholder engagement”. This study reveals that SM approaches in MCP are subject to national context of the project, indicating a need to identify the impact of national culture on this discipline. Moreover, traditional stakeholder analysis techniques are widely adopted in MCP notwithstanding their weaknesses; therefore a social network approach for managing stakeholder interrelationships in these projects is needed.

Descriptive, instrumental and strategic approaches to corporate social responsibility

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate whether the descriptive, instrumental, and strategic approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR) are related to corporate performance (CP) and to determine the nature of this relationship, if any.Design/methodology/approachUsing data collected by KLD Research Analytics and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the study examines the association between companies' choice of approaches to the CSR and CSR‐CP relationship.FindingsResults of this study indicate that each of the three approaches to CSR – descriptive, instrumental, and strategic – are associated with CP, but in different ways. While the instrumental approach to CSR has a positive association with short‐term measures of CP, the strategic approach is associated with short‐term and medium‐term measures of CP, and the descriptive approach has no definite association with CP at all.Originality/valueThis study integrates the prevailing justifications for CSR with the taxonomy of approaches to CSR – instrumental, descriptive and strategic – suggested in the literature. It has been argued that these frameworks influence managers' conception of what constitutes effective stakeholder management and make a difference in how decision makers in an organization think and act in crafting the company's social initiatives and in deciding what the company aims to achieve through these initiatives. By examining the association between companies' approaches to CSR and stakeholder management of the CSR‐CP relationship, the study offers another perspective of the ongoing debate in the social accounting literature about the accountability relationships between business and society.

Upward Influence to Overcome Hierarchical Authority Expectations: A New Approach for Stakeholder Management

Abstract: Critical to project success is effective stakeholder management. This paper presents a challenge for the project manager who uses traditional approaches to manage mid-level stakeholders in an organization. Dual roles of a mid-level stakeholder (as a stakeholder of a project and as an agent of the corporate) may cause problems that would result in difficulties for project managers in identifying the stakeholder’s attributes and overcoming hiera rchical authority expectation. However, the dual roles of the stakeholder result in its weakness in the project-stakeholder relationship. Can a project leverage its strategic role for effective upward influence by linking project objectives to corporate strategic objectives? To address this research question, case study method was used to gain a deeper understanding of mid- level stakeholder’s salience. This research proposes an upward influence strategy to embed a project-stakeholder relationship in a hierarchical stakeholder network. Keywords: upward influence strategy, mid-level stakeholder, stakeholder network, corporate strategy

Evaluating production improvement opportunities in a chemical plant: a case study using discrete event simulation

This paper presents a case study on using a discrete event simulation-based approach to evaluate the proposed capacity expansion and reliability improvement opportunities at a chemical plant of The Dow Chemical Company. The simulation model was successfully used to evaluate the effect of batch size increase and automation of raw material loading on the plant productivity. In addition, the modelling work identified critical failures that were significant contributors towards production loss. Despite the strong capabilities of simulation for modelling complex system dynamics and uncertainties, there are challenges associated with use of simulation. Simulation projects for such complex systems are typically long term, and require effective stakeholder management techniques for successful execution. We discuss some Six Sigma-based best practices that aid in successful execution of such projects and for ensuring the sustainability of simulation models for evaluating future improvement efforts.

Effective communication in contaminated risk management

The process of managing contaminated land projects is complex and the necessary skill set required to communicate contaminated land risk has become extensive. The communication of contaminated land risk has become more important as a result of greater pressure placed on the redevelopment of brownfield sites, easier access to basic environmental information, increased public concern about human health risk and possible harm to controlled waters, and less trust that risk is communicated fully and honestly to stakeholders. These drivers have culminated in the task of effective communication associated with contaminated land becoming more onerous but a detailed consideration of their impact on stakeholders is critical to the successful delivery of remediation projects. The necessary skills required for the effective communication of contaminated land risk are considered. These skills are appropriate for contaminated land consultants, planners, civil engineers, specialist contractors and land owners who have to communicate risk issues to a lay audience. The part IIA Manywells landfill site is provided as an appropriate case study, in which effective communication and stakeholder management has been successfully implemented.

A typology of operational approaches for stakeholder analysis and engagement

Stakeholder analysis and engagement are the main tasks in stakeholder management. To identify operational approaches for stakeholder analysis and engagement, six interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted in Hong Kong, and an additional 15 interviews were held in Australia. The main finding is a typology of practical approaches for practitioners in construction. A total of 30 approaches are comprised in the typology, and they are classified by application. To test the usefulness of the typology, action research is applied to two real‐life projects in Australia. The implication is that the selection of the approaches is an art and a contingency approach as well, requiring practitioners’ judgments. Each approach has its strengths and limitations, so the most appropriate way for effective stakeholder management is to use a combination of elements from each approach as circumstances dictate. This study can serve as a reference for the systematic consideration of the project management team about the operational approaches for stakeholder management in construction projects.

A project lifecycle perspective on stakeholder influence strategies in global projects

Summary Global projects affect and are affected by multiple stakeholders with differing interests and demands. Recently, there has been increased pressure for global projects to be more environmentally and socially responsible. A project creates a dynamic context for stakeholder management and stakeholder behavior because the project moves through different phases during its lifecycle. By adopting a lifecycle perspective on secondary stakeholders’ behavior, we develop a set of propositions that increase our understanding of the potential of secondary stakeholders to influence the project management's decision making during the different phases of the project lifecycle. Ultimately, a better understanding of secondary stakeholders’ influence behavior during the project lifecycle enables the use of more effective project stakeholder management approaches.

Stakeholder management in construction: An empirical study to address research gaps in previous studies

This paper concentrates on identifying gaps in the scope of previous studies on stakeholder management, and starting to address those gaps by conducting an empirical study. To complete these research objectives, literature review, interviews, questionnaire survey, and a case study were used in this study. Four gaps regarding critical success factors, stakeholder management process, methods for stakeholder management and stakeholder relationship management were identified. Based on an empirical study, a framework for effective stakeholder management is proposed, and the application of a Social Network Analysis technique, as a means of determining the influence of stakeholders on decision making, is illustrated and validated by a case study. These findings can serve as initial references towards a more systematic approach for stakeholder management. Since the empirical study was conducted only in Hong Kong and Australia, further studies should be conducted in other regions to validate and compare with the finding in this paper.

Stakeholder analysis in higher education

The issue of stakeholder identification and management is relatively well understood in the literature for private sector organisations (Christopher et al 2002, Rutterford et al 2006), and its importance is increasing across all developed countries (Maassen 2000, Wit and Verhoeven 2000, Peters 1996, Kettle 2002). However, whilst stakeholder theory has been advanced in commercial arenas (Donaldson and Preston 1995), there is less research in the public and non‐profit areas (Bryson 2004), particularly with regard to universities. Stakeholder identification and management are important disciplines in terms of effective management (Mitchell et al 1997) ‘making decisions’ and planning strategy (Bryson 2004), identifying problems to be solved (Freeman 1984), and ultimately knowing who may exert their influence over the organisation (Mitchell et al 1997). Identifying and understanding the stakeholders of relevance to an organisation, and their influence or interest, is therefore of key importance to managers and policy‐makers. The aim of this paper is to investigate this gap in the literature, namely specific understanding of stakeholders and the nature of stakeholder management for universities. In this context the study focuses on the identification and prioritisation of stakeholders for a UK university, a process that may be ‘key to the success of public sector organisations’ (Bryson 2004). Whilst stakeholder identification and classification is a familiar concept, its application to the particular context of a UK university is less explored, and this paper aims to drive more effective university stakeholder management through ‘improving management, creating public value and advancing the common good’ (Bryson 2004). The paper employs a case study approach that focuses on the University of Portsmouth, a large, modern UK university.

Friends to Grow and Foes to Know: Using a Stakeholder Matrix to Identify Management Strategies for Convention and Visitors Bureaus

Effective stakeholder management is essential in today's dynamic business environment, especially in the case of convention and visitors bureaus that are dependent upon destination stakeholder support for critical resources. This article uses the resource-dependency theory to propose a typology for strategically managing stakeholders using convention and visitors bureaus as a case example. Building on previous research, it offers a new focus and categorization using both control over resources and mission congruence to help executives strategically manage their stakeholders and achieve their mission. By analyzing how different stakeholders can be considered friends, foes, or neutrals, strategies are offered that convention and visitors bureaus, destination marketing organizations, and other organizations can use to manage multiple stakeholders. The framework presented also serves as a basis for empirical work with the potential to inform theory and practice.

Stakeholder prioritization and reporting: Evidence from Italy and the US

This study investigates the considerations that might be made by managers when choosing between mutually exclusive stakeholder expectations and reaching and engaging in a dialogue with them. In addition, the study also examines if there are systematic differences across countries (Italy and the US) in the decision to address the concerns of various stakeholder groups. Data was collected from 244 managers and 72 companies simultaneously in two different national business contexts, Italy and the US. The results of the study provide some evidence that managerial perception of three stakeholder group characteristics – power, legitimacy, and urgency – form a parsimonious group of variables that explain the process of stakeholder prioritization. However, only limited support was found for the relationship between salience accorded to a stakeholder group and engagement efforts directed toward the group. The results of the study also show that the managerial decision as to which of the stakeholder groups’ demands to address will be influenced by society-specific expectations. The significance of this study lies in investigating the stakeholder prioritization and engagement process, as it is being practiced, which, one could argue, would help in developing guidelines for effective stakeholder management that stands a realistic chance of being adapted and followed.

Practical approaches for engaging stakeholders: findings from the UK

Principles for managing stakeholders are discussed in the context of UK construction practice. The number of stakeholders in a modern construction project can be large, presenting numerous interfaces that have to be managed. Meanwhile, each organization has its own characteristic disposition. Therefore, the interactions between diverse organizations in a project pose a high potential for conflicting stakes. Against this background, stakeholder management assumes high priority. Qualitative research was used to investigate the practice of stakeholder management with 12 UK companies in the construction sector. Interviews were held with these companies and content analysis was used to identify themes that demonstrate effective stakeholder management practice. Construct validity and a workshop underpinned the verification of underlying and frontline approaches for managing stakeholders. The underlying approaches include maintaining existing relationships, providing top‐level support and being proactive while the frontline approaches include the use of negotiations, trade‐offs, incentives and concessions.

The greening of the press: A case study of stakeholder accountability and the corporate management of environmentalist publics

AbstractThe concept of stakeholder accountability and management is increasingly an integral facet of business strategy. This is particularly evident for companies which have a significant environmental impact, be it real or perceived, where public scrutiny of environmental performance is facilitated through heightened press coverage. Effective stakeholder management therefore necessitates an active response to the media's attention in order to manage the public perception of business activities. This article presents data on the exponential growth in both the total number and the proportion of news articles over the past fifteen years which have associated a large forestry company in Western Canada with environmentalist issues. More detailed analyses of these articles illustrate how environmentalist sub‐issues can be identified and whether the voice is either that of the corporation or the environmentalist movement. Implications of these findings for the management of environmentalist publics is discussed.