Six essentials to achieve meaningful stakeholder management

A key tool in any municipal leader’s toolkit is stakeholder management—that is, the ability to cultivate trusting, productive relationships with residents, local businesses, local nonprofits, and others in the public sphere. Stakeholder management entails understanding people’s interests, and then effectively working alongside them as you implement new initiatives, whether they be a new library, freshly paved streets, or something else entirely.

Stakeholder management underpins just about any project or program. When done right, it can ensure all voices are heard, and that projects and programs are inclusive and successful. But when done poorly—or not at all—the results can be stalled projects, failed programs, and community members who feel they’re invisible to the process.

So, what steps can you take to achieve meaningful stakeholder management? Below, find six essentials to ensure you’re successfully collaborating with the members of your community.

Build a stakeholder management plan. It’s not enough to verbally commit to stakeholder engagement—you need a concrete plan to back it up, too. For each new project your municipality undertakes, be sure you’re also creating a bespoke stakeholder management plan complete with tactics, a calendar and goals. Strategize for how you’re going to engage the community in meaningful and accessible ways. Utilize town halls, online comment forms, flyers and even social media. And make sure you’re encouraging stakeholders to share all their opinions, not just the rosy ones. Sometimes the negative opinions and potential grievances are the most important to hear and engage with.

Engage marginalized voices and perspectives. Unfortunately, it can be common for certain stakeholders to be overlooked. For example, parents of young children may not be able to attend a town hall in the evening. Local business owners who speak only Spanish would be unable to participate in a forum held only in English. Make sure you’re engaging everyone equally. Look at which groups are historically disengaged, and the conditions that made this possible. Work with local nonprofits and grassroots organizations to determine which voices go unheard, and what you can do to bring them into the conversation.

Craft a consensus-building process. Consensus building—getting diverse people and groups onto common ground about a project—is a vital part of stakeholder management. Start this work by setting out clear goals and a timeline. For example: We need to build consensus about which streets to repave before the end of the month. Then, define the incentives and capacity for stakeholders to build consensus—make it clear why it’s beneficial for everyone to be on the same page. Lastly, set ground rules for discussion, like offering everyone equal time to speak. And if necessary, have a neutral third-party facilitate the consensus-building process (if someone from within your municipality is facilitating the conversation, stakeholders may feel that they’re biased toward particular interests).

Redirect focus away from conflicts. While it’s essential to collect negative opinions and grievances, don’t let them devolve into open conflict. Instead, keep the focus on shared goals, like improving the city’s downtown or creating a more walkable village. Do this by framing conflicts as vehicles for problem solving. You should also recognize stakeholders’ interests and positions, even if you disagree with them—it’s essential that everyone feels heard. And of course, avoid inflammatory rhetoric. Assume everyone has good intentions, even if their viewpoint is clashing with a project goal. To ensure you’re prepared, you can hold practice run-throughs of public meetings.

Keep a log of issues. As you work your way through the stakeholder management plan and navigate various conflicts, make sure you’re taking careful notes. All feedback that stakeholders share should be captured and saved. Over time, you’ll start to see patterns—like which grievances are most common or, alternatively, what aspects of a project stakeholders are most excited about. By keeping a careful log, you can also follow up with individuals as their questions and comments are addressed.

Always be transparent. Transparency is the foundation of trust. As you work with stakeholders, always remain open about how a project or program is unfolding—the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s normal for relationships to become challenging sometimes, but as long as you’re being honest, those involved are more likely to continue operating in good faith.

In 2023 and beyond, as your municipality embarks on new initiatives, ensure you’re investing in stakeholder management. When you can effectively collaborate with the people and organizations that make up your community, even the most ambitious projects become possible.

Allison Quigney is a principal at Public Works Partners LLC, a WBE/DBE/SBE certified planning and consulting firm specializing in multi-stakeholder initiatives and building strong connections across the nonprofit, government, and private sectors. For more information, visit www.publicworkspartners.com.