Seven Cs of Consulting, The

Stakeholders

Stakeholders have power to influence, enhance or curtail an engagement. They can operate in both an overt and covert manner, often driven by their personal values and goals as opposed to those of the organization. Like beauty, stakeholders are viewed from a subjective rather than objective position. They are only viewed as stakeholders if perceived as having power over the perceiver.

When attempting to clarify the issues that surround any problem, it can help to develop a map that indicates who can influence the outcome of the change and to what extent they might wish to wield their power. Consider the consulting firm about to undertake a critical piece of work with a multinational client. Although the client might have set out ...