How can you identify the most important stakeholders for resolving complex problems?

In my experience and practice, i have learned that a stakeholder is anyone or a firm or group of people who can influence or can be influenced by the process of developing a product or project. Therefore, identification of key stakeholder starts with defining the project, which is then followed by identification of stakeholders, assessment and developing a stakeholder register. You need to know the relationship of the stakeholders with the project in form of interest, influence, level of involvement and potential impact on the project. Going beyond the job description will help you relate stakeholders with their power and interest in the project. This helps you to identify the stakeholders and tailor their assessment to suit project needs.

Existem diversas ferramentas que podem te ajudar nessa missão. Mas a mais importante é entender o poder de influência de cada stakholder e o interesse dele no projeto/negócio. Além disso, a estratégia de comunicação é essencial após a identificação desse contexto inicial. A gestão de stakholders é uma das partes mais críticas, mas que é muito subestimada e tem um impacto significativo no negócio.

Right. Step one is trying to understand what the root of the issue is. But step 1 (what is the issue) cannot be separated from step 2 (who are the people involved). A good analogy to this situation is medicine. Like a doctor, the job of a leader involves first diagnosing the issue then moving to treatment. But a doctor cannot begin the process of diagnosis without considering the person – nor should a leader. Nowadays, pretty much every complex problem involves people at the root of it. Don’t separate the problem from the people involved.

All stakeholders are important. A system that puts uneven pressure on different stakeholders is a flawed one. However, there are stakeholders that, in this scenario, may have more leverage than others. A good way to look at this is to ask yourself which stakeholders stay awake worrying about. In a perfect world, we wouldn't worry about stakeholders or at least worry about them equally. However, our lizard brain knows which unhappy stakeholders are most dangerous to survival usually has something to say about this.

Stakeholder Influence Mapping! This involves creating a visual map of all potential stakeholders and assessing: - Their level of interest in the problem and desired outcomes - Their level of influence over the process and other stakeholders - Any potential conflicts of interest or misalignments Based on this mapping, you can then identify key stakeholders who have both high interest and high influence - these will likely be your most critical stakeholders, understand conflicts early and plan how to manage them, and identify stakeholders who require more engagement and communication The mapping brings clarity to the stakeholder landscape and helps ensure critical voices are not left out of decision making.

Once you identify a problem correctly, your problem statement will tell you how to get the right people on the boat. To do this, you need to engage in appreciative inquiry as things are happening in-situ, and really listen to the people involved. Listen for how people are seeing themselves in the situation and how events impact them. Another way to think of this multi-step process is; the first step is identification, the second step is defining the cause. The cause will lead you to who is involved, who is affected, and who or what is driving the situation. Remember, we are talking about "problems" first, and not solutions. You could also consider this as a root cause analysis, or a fishbone exercise.

These are all very good tools to use in identifying potential stakeholders. A word of caution: do not deliberately avoid the "squeaky wheel." These are people not afraid to speak their minds. They often seem to be against change; and it's easy to determine this. But just as often, if not more often, they are the biggest advocates of change. They may just lack the authority, communication skills, or tact to do so. And they are probably saying what many quiet people are thinking. If you can manage to win over a squeaky wheel, they will very likely do all your solution promoting for you.

The first thing is to look at is who’s involved with the issue. ‘Stakeholders’ is an awkward label here. Who wants to have a stake (a metaphor for ownership) in a problem?! Start by trying to understand each person’s perspective. Take the 10,000-foot view and check your own biases. Assume that each person wants to do things well, but they are getting stuck or tripping over something – perhaps even themselves. Ask yourself, why and how are people in this mess? How can I help them in a way that helps our team/organization?

One of the most important steps in efficiently tackling complicated challenges is identifying possible stakeholders. Cast a wide net by taking into account people or organizations that the issue may affect, either directly or indirectly. Interact with subject matter experts, cross-functional teams, and those who have a stake in the result. Evaluate both internal and external viewpoints to guarantee a thorough comprehension. Members of the team, customers, government agencies, and even end users might be considered stakeholders. Various perspectives are revealed by a methodical examination of possible stakeholders, guaranteeing a comprehensive approach to problem-solving.

Após a definição do problema, é necessário identificar todas as partes que podem ser afetadas ou que têm um interesse direto na sua resolução. Isso inclui clientes, colaboradores, acionistas, comunidades locais e outros stakeholders relevantes. A amplitude dessa identificação é crucial para não negligenciar perspectivas valiosas durante o processo.

Now we are talking about navigating the political landscape of the organization. In other words, who has power/leverage and can help? And, who is affected by this situation? ‘Office politics’ is generally viewed as a dirty term, but as research shows us, it’s just the method through which power and influence is wielded. Office politics can be used for good to solve problems for the betterment of people and the organization. Understanding who has power and interest (the political landscape) is crucial to seeing how your organization functions - or malfunctions!. Ask yourself 3 primary questions here: What is each person’s level of engagement? What is their degree of influence? How are they all connected?

Evaluating the significance of stakeholders is an essential component of properly addressing complicated issues. Sort stakeholders according to importance, knowledge, and involvement in the problem. High-importance stakeholders frequently have the ability to make important decisions, have important insights, or are directly impacted by the problem's solutions. Using an influence-impact analysis or power-interest grid can assist in visualizing and prioritizing stakeholders according to these criteria. In order to ensure adaptation to changing dynamics, periodically review and update these assessments as the problem-solving process progresses.

For me I try to start with the money flow. Who has the most direct impact on sales, finances, budget etc. At the end of the day, the person who has the biggest lever to cash is ultimately going to have the most say. There are a number of occasions where I worked with VP level customers in a specific department who had a need that we were working towards. Not realizing that a Director in another department actually controlled all budgetary decisions for any work that was to be done. So despite the discrepancy in senior title, the person who had the ultimate veto power was the one who controlled budget. Other variables I typically asses is tenure with the organization.

I like to draw a project/problem map and place my stakeholders as "blockers" in the map. Think Gantt chart style view with images of the stakeholders as blockers! To keep it simple, lets rank the stakeholders in the following category's: 1) Importance to the project (do I really need them?) 2) Difficulty of access (are they the CEO or the intern) Once you have the stakeholders identified and categorized, do your outreach based on the time it will take to get these stakeholders onboard weighted against the importance of there role in the project.

Nem todas as partes interessadas têm o mesmo nível de impacto no problema em questão. A avaliação da importância de cada parte interessada é fundamental. Considere o grau de influência, a urgência e a relevância para o problema. Priorizar as partes interessadas com maior impacto permite uma abordagem mais direcionada e eficaz para a resolução do problema.

A well-structured stakeholder engagement plan significantly shapes the identification of key stakeholders in complex problem-solving. By systematically outlining communication strategies, feedback mechanisms, and approaches for relationship building, the plan ensures a focused and inclusive process. It promotes transparency, gathers diverse perspectives, and allows for adaptability as the initiative progresses. Clear roles and responsibilities, coupled with proactive strategies for addressing challenges, contribute to a more cohesive and collaborative team. This will facilitate effective communication but also enriches the identification process, aligning stakeholders with the goals of the problem-solving initiative.

Organizing stakeholder participation is essential to determining which stakeholders are most crucial to solving complicated issues. Lay out a thorough stakeholder analysis first, taking into account each person's influence, interests, and possible effects on the process of problem-solving. Sort stakeholders according to their significance and degree of participation. Provide a customized communication and engagement strategy that specifies the participation of each stakeholder group and when. Important stakeholders could need more frequent updates and focused conversations. Be proactive in requesting their opinions and comments in order to create a cooperative environment.

Com as partes interessadas identificadas e sua importância avaliada, a última etapa é planejar o engajamento. Desenvolver estratégias específicas para envolver cada grupo de stakeholders, considerando suas necessidades, expectativas e influência. O planejamento cuidadoso do engajamento das partes interessadas é crucial para garantir o apoio contínuo e efetivo ao longo do processo de resolução de problemas complexos.

When dealing with complex issues and structures, it is key to consider those doing the work, those receiving services, and those making the decisions. Decision making, especially for complex problems should not be done in a silo. Have a collaborative group of those identified above to come together and discuss solutions with possible complications is key to success.