Can Stakeholder Engagement be improved through having a better understanding of how stakeholders’ see the world? webinar

Whilst successful stakeholder engagement is clearly a factor in project success, that assumes as a project manager (PM) you have the support of your stakeholders whether they be your own team, peers, the sponsor, or the recipients of your project’s outcome. Communicating with stakeholders is not a standard process as it requires an understanding of their reality or how they see the world. The PM needs to appreciate the context, history, culture, and values of the stakeholders if the communication is to be effective and uncertainty over its effective reduced. 

This webinar broadcast on Monday 8 September, briefly considered why engagement and communication can go wrong and then described two approaches PMs can use to reduce the uncertainty of their communications. These approaches help guide PMs to better understand the variety of assumptions that are made by stakeholders, where power may reside and to appreciate why their perception as to value of the project is different. There was a particular focus on those stakeholders who are often ignored – or overlooked entirely - but subsequently are found to have a powerful influence over project success.

This was a joint webinar from the APM People Interest Network and APM Systems Thinking Interest Network.

Webinar resources

The panel have kindly allowed their presented material to be made available for viewing. The webinar recording on Vimeo and the slides on Slideshare, are available in our APM resources area and also embedded below for reference.

This webinar content is suitable for professionals with an intermediate level of the project profession.

 

 

Speaker panel members

Gareth David has worked in project management for the last two decades, predominantly as a management consultant and project / programme manager. Working as Head of Projects for a large financial services organisation, he is an Association for Project Management Systems Thinking Interest Network volunteer and is a Fellow of the APM.

Gareth has multiple qualifications in relevant fields, notably a PGCert in Information Systems and an MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice from the Open University, UK.

 

Ian Cribbes is an experienced Project Professional and a Fellow of the APM with over 35 years in the Project Management field covering both UK and International locations.  His experience covers a vast range of sectors from civil aviation through military aviation to local and central government organisations, higher education and leisure industries.  Establishing his own Consultancy company in 2013 he has engaged in furthering the Project Profession through mentoring colleagues and fellow project managers.  His main focus is on prompting the importance of Stakeholder Engagement and the roles and responsibilities of the project sponsor.

He one of the founding members and key point of contact of the Stakeholder Engagement Focus Group (part of the People Interest Network) and a member of the People Interest Network for a number of years.

Phil Macey is a Chartered Project Professional who has been a practicing PM for over 20 years. His experience spans being a key member of large Defence Programmes to single-handed delivery of ground-breaking technology projects. Many of the projects have had complex change aspects with several involving redundancies and structural change. Also, as a senior manager he has supported PMs delivering complex ERP projects for large corporations.

He recently completed (2024) a Master’s Degree in Systems Thinking in Practice with the Open University UK. The focus of his research was on improving the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement through social learning.

He retired from paid employment at the end 2024. In addition to doing research for the STIN, he mentors project managers and helps Ex Service Leavers transition into civilian life.