I have been reading up on stakeholder analysis. Does anyone have any practical success stories of how you have taken rather unsupportive stakeholders and have improved their buy-in/commitment level?

Please outline the techniques, message, approach you took to get the support. I am assuming that there may be a different approach based on what function they are (i.e. Sales, Mgmt, etc.).

For us, we identified our stakeholders and their current position on the change management curve. We also identified where we wanted them to be once the current phase of the project was complete.

We did interviews and determined their concerns and the impact both on the project and that the project would have on them.

From there, using our corporate communication tools, we were able to tailor our messages for the stakeholders to gain their not just their buy-in, but their excitement, enthusiasm and committment.

:topic: Should this thread be moved out of the ISO forum and into a more appropriate one? Let me know.

I have been reading up on stakeholder analysis. Does anyone have any practical success stories of how you have taken rather unsupportive stakeholders and have improved their buy-in/commitment level?

Please outline the techniques, message, approach you took to get the support. I am assuming that there may be a different approach based on what function they are (i.e. Sales, Mgmt, etc.).

What would help is to go back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs). They're not unique to an individual stakeholder. It's about exploring what the specified and implied needs are of the individual and the group to which s/he belongs. Many change processes are initiated without considering these. It always takes some kind of compromise. Consensus and win-win is not easy.

Great topic!

Stijloor.

I have been reading up on stakeholder analysis. Does anyone have any practical success stories of how you have taken rather unsupportive stakeholders and have improved their buy-in/commitment level?

Please outline the techniques, message, approach you took to get the support. I am assuming that there may be a different approach based on what function they are (i.e. Sales, Mgmt, etc.).Mike, are you focusing on internal employees? Stakeholders is a broad term, encompassing much more than employees, such as customers, suppliers, consumers, regulators, community, shareholders, competitors, etc...

My focus is mostly internal. I am looking to develop a plan of how to take a rather unsupportive sales/management/production groups and put on my own sales hat and turn them into quality champions.

We do "interviews" with stakeholders to find out what their concerns are, questions, impacts (by them and to them), level of committment required, etc. From there, you will be able to tailor your message to facilitate their participation.