There is a hierarchy of engagement amongst the digital channels and tools you use when dealing with stakeholders.
In this post, we want to help you understand how this works and how this can help you deliver more effective stakeholder engagement!
We'll go through the hierarchy of engagement and each of its levels:
Let’s look at it as a pyramid system where each level of the hierarchy involves a different level of stakeholder engagement.
The pyramid image shows the parallels between the levels of engagement (on the left side) and the communication methods commonly used for each level, considering how much effort is required and the number of stakeholders involved.
Let's look into how each communication method works to accomplish the intent of inform-consult-collaborate with stakeholders:
Pull communication channels are those where you frequently publish corporate and project information for the taking.
In other words, the stakeholder has to take the initiative to look for it.
Your only responsibility is to provide the low-interest/low-influence and borderline low-influence/high-interest stakeholders with the links to the information.
You must ensure that the information you provide is easily accessible and clearly communicated so that stakeholders can find what they need.
Push communication channels differ from pull channels in that you are directly sending the information to the attention of the stakeholder, rather than waiting for them to seek it out.
It can be done using a group email collective address from your CRM or you can target one of your four segmented groups according to your engagement grid categorisations.
Do not overthink this group. Avoid addressing your stakeholders individually, segment them into appropriate groups to ensure that you're sending relevant information to the right people, and stick to the group approach to limit your investment of time.
The added feature here is that the content of the communication is more focused on providing specific project updates and information.
Controlled discussions are situations where you want to solicit specific input from a particular group of stakeholders.
It’s a two-way communication path that allows stakeholders to provide feedback, comments, or suggestions about specific topics related to the project - but it’s not live. You are limiting the interaction to written exchanges of information over a digital medium.
Controlled discussion channels are useful for engaging stakeholders who have a higher level of interest or influence in the project.
The frequency of these interactions is also controlled with a target of once-a-month encounters with a provision for special occurrences when the project needs some specific feedback.
Active participation is where you include stakeholders as part of the project team.
They become registered resources in a project management system and can be seen in the list of available resources when choosing to whom a task will be assigned.
Stakeholders with this level of interest/influence will have limited hours available and normally have a narrowly defined role with equally bounded responsibilities based on their skills and knowledge.
The highest level of engagement in the stakeholder engagement hierarchy, the dynamic partnership occurs continuously with shared accountability and responsibility for the project's health.
This group of stakeholders is your peer group. They have as much experience - and in some cases more experience - in specific disciplines than you, and can provide valuable insight into the project's progress.
Ensure that stakeholders at this level have clear roles and responsibilities, and are empowered to make decisions and take action. Effective communication and collaboration are critical for success at this level of engagement.
A few of the more common digital channels for each communication method:
Creating a stakeholder engagement strategy that applies the appropriate communication channel to each category of stakeholders will help you obtain the level of engagement necessary to support your project's success.
Deliver better stakeholder engagement using all the communication tools you need in addition to stakeholder mapping, data analysis, insightful reporting and more.
Tractivity can help with all your engagement needs in a centralised, GDPR-compliant solution. Contact us today to learn how we can support you.