What’s Inside:

1. The 10 Steps In The Stakeholder Salience Model

2. Key Takeaways

3. Real-World Benefits of Applying the Stakeholder Salience Model

4. Free Resource

Read Time: 3 minutes.

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In today's fast-paced project environment, understanding and prioritizing stakeholders is more crucial than ever.

That's why we're focusing on the Stakeholder Salience Model, a pivotal framework I've found invaluable in managing complex projects.

Studies have shown that stakeholder management can significantly influence project outcomes, sometimes determining the difference between success and failure.

Let's explore how this model can revolutionize your approach to stakeholder engagement.

Here are 10 steps to guide you through this process:

Step 1: Identify Stakeholders

Begin by listing all possible stakeholders related to your project. This includes individuals, groups, or organizations that might be affected by or have an influence on the project. Consider both internal and external stakeholders.

Step 2: Understand Stakeholder Attributes

Please familiarize yourself with the three critical attributes of the Stakeholder Salience Model: power (the ability to influence the project or its outcomes), legitimacy (the appropriateness of their involvement based on their relationship to the project), and urgency (the degree to which stakeholder claims require immediate attention).

Step 3: Assess Each Stakeholder

Evaluate each identified stakeholder against the three attributes. Determine the level of power, legitimacy, and urgency they possess in the context of your project.

Step 4: Create a Stakeholder Matrix

Develop a visual matrix or grid to map stakeholders based on the three attributes. This can be a simple 2D grid or a more complex 3D model if you want to represent all attributes distinctly.

Step 5: Categorize Stakeholders

Based on your assessment, categorize stakeholders into groups such as high power/high urgency, high power/low urgency, low power/high legitimacy, etc. This helps in understanding their potential impact on the project.

Step 6: Prioritize Stakeholders

Determine which stakeholders are the most important to the project's success. Those with high scores in all three attributes (power, legitimacy, urgency) should be prioritized.

Step 7: Develop Engagement Strategies

For each category of stakeholders, develop specific engagement strategies. Tailor your communication, involvement, and management approaches based on their salience to the project.

Step 8: Implement Engagement Plans

Put your stakeholder engagement strategies into action. This could involve regular meetings, updates, consultations, or other forms of involvement tailored to each stakeholder group.

Step 9: Monitor and Adjust

Regularly review and reassess your stakeholder matrix. Stakeholders' power, legitimacy, and urgency levels can change as the project progresses, necessitating adjustments in your engagement strategies.

Step 10: Document and Communicate 

Keep detailed records of your stakeholder analysis and engagement strategies. Communicate these plans with your project team and relevant stakeholders to ensure transparency and alignment.

These steps will help you effectively apply the Stakeholder Salience Model, ensuring that all relevant parties are appropriately engaged and managed throughout the lifecycle of your project.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Stakeholder Salience Model is a practical tool for prioritizing stakeholder engagement efforts effectively.

2. Adapting engagement strategies based on stakeholder attributes is key to maintaining relevance and effectiveness.

3. Proactive stakeholder analysis minimizes conflicts and aligns project goals with stakeholder expectations.

4. Real-world applications of the model showcase its tangible benefits in enhancing project success.

Real-World Benefits of Applying the Stakeholder Salience Model

Applying this model is not just a theoretical exercise. It's a proven approach that enhances project outcomes through better risk management, improved resource allocation, and more robust support for your initiatives. Look within your organization for examples where effective stakeholder management made a significant difference. Sharing these success stories can be a powerful way to illustrate the practical benefits of the model.

Click here for a great FREE infographic laying out several stakeholder engagement models.

Until next time,

Justin

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