A typology of operational approaches for stakeholder analysis and engagement

Abstract

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 fifteen interviews were held in Australia. The main finding is a typology of practical approaches for practitioners in construction. A total of thirty 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' judgements. 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.

Managing for Stakeholders: The Role of Stakeholder-Based Management in Project Success

“…Urgency refers to how urgent stakeholders' claims are; such urgent claims are based on time sensitivity and criticality (Mitchell et al, 1997). The importance of urgency in project field was also confirmed by other researchers (Bourne & Walker, 2006;Yang, Shen, Bourne, et al, 2011). This study will retain urgency for further assessment.…”

“…Bourne & Walker (2006) replaced legitimacy with proximity claiming it ignores stakeholders beyond contractual rights. Yang, Shen, Bourne, et al (2011) also replaced legitimacy with proximity due to its complication and restriction.…”

“…The characteristics of these relational networks lead to density and or centrality of relationships which may cause coalitions or conflicts among stakeholders (Rowley, 1997). Yang, Shen, Bourne, et al (2011) tested the stakeholder relationship management and found it significant. Authors categorized it into two processes.…”

Impact of Community Engagement on Public Construction Projects -- Case Study of Hammanskraal Pedestrian Bridge, City of Tshwane, South Africa

“…The importance of stakeholder management in construction projects have been emphasized and reported by a number of studies according to Yang, Shen Ho, Drew & Chan [19]. Yang et al [20] further posit that the construction industry has failed dismally in effectively managing stakeholders in the last decade. Although studies conducted within the industry has shown that some of the challenges of stakeholder management in construction projects include: inadequate engagement of stakeholders, project managers having unclear objectives of stakeholder management, difficulty to identify the "invisible" stakeholder, and inadequate communication with stakeholders.…”

“…In a research by Yang et al [20] conducted on construction projects in Hong Kong, the top three critical success factors identified as effective in stakeholder management are: managing stakeholders with social responsibilities namely: economic, legal, environmental and ethical; exploring the stakeholders' needs and constraints to the project, and communicating with and engaging stakeholders properly and frequently.…”