Stakeholder Engagement - Cranfield School of Management ...

3.6 Stage 6: Respond and Implement
Once consultations have taken place, stakeholders will want to
know which of their suggestions have been taken on board, and
what measures are to be put in place to address their concerns.
Issues that are priorities for either your organisation or
stakeholders should particularly be addressed. Once you have
decided on the most appropriate course of action for your
organisation, given the issue(s) identified, you should formulate
proposals for action in the light of the probable response from
stakeholders to each proposal.
Figure 12: Deciding on a Course of Action for
a Particular Issue
Issue Organisation Proposed Proposed Proposed
Organisation
Reaction
to Proposal
Response
At Present
Response 1 Response 2 Response 3
Stakeholder 1
Reaction to
Proposal
Stakeholder 2
Reaction to
Proposal
Stakeholder 3
Reaction to
Proposal
Average
Stakeholder
Reaction to
Proposal
How an organisation responds or is perceived to respond to
stakeholders, particularly over areas of disagreement, can have
significant implications for business reputation and performance,
and therefore must be handled with great care and delicacy. A
perception of fairness in the process is critical, even if not all
stakeholder demands are met, as well as responding in an
appropriate time frame and in a transparent manner.
Figure 13 highlights a possible route to implement measures
once an organisation has decided which proposals to adopt
in response to an issue being raised by stakeholders.
25
Figure 13: Implementing Measures to
Manage Issues Identified as Priorities 19
Develop
management
plan: objectives;
measures;
responsibilities;
targets
Monitor and
evaluate
progress and
adjust if
necessary
Consult with
stakeholders
and
organisation
department re
measures
Initial outline
of measures to
manage issue
Assess
measures to
manage issue:
capacity; cost; time;
effectiveness
3.7 Stage 7: Monitoring, Evaluating and
Documenting
The rigorous management of knowledge and information
acquired in the engagement process is essential.Various
international standards can be used as a reference point in
developing monitoring and evaluating capacity (Box 7) and
organisations should employ their expertise and experience in
knowledge management systems, and in evaluating outputs and
outcomes gained in other business operations to ensure effective
monitoring and evaluation. Implementing lessons learnt and
understanding their implications for future engagement are
critical aspects to this role.
19 Jeffery, Neil. 2007.Towards a Customer Value Model for Stakeholder Engagement: Understanding the Added Value to Business. Cass Business School
3
Respond and Implement