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Strategist, USA
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How to Avoid Subjectivity in Stakeholder Analysis?
As correctly stated in the excellent summary of stakeholder analysis, any stakeholder analysis is typically the sum of the subjective perceptions of the management team of the company. This means that if these perceptions are incorrect, the stakeholder analysis will also be incorrect. This could have devastating consequences for the strategy of the firm.
I am looking for ways how such subjectivity in Stakeholder Analysis can be decreased or avoided altogether. Who can help me?
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Welcome to the Stakeholder Analysis forum of 12manage.
Here we exchange knowledge and experiences in the field of Stakeholder Analysis.
❗Sign up now to gain access to 12manage. Completely free.
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Jim Burke, USA
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Avoiding Subjectivity: Assumptions Exercise Perceptions are tied closely to assumptions and one way to address that is to gather the key stakeholders for an assumptions exercise. That, then, puts forth the basis for the perceptions.
A technique taught me about 10 years ago helps smoke out those assumptions. Picture a graph, with a time line on the bottom/x axis and a metric on the left/y axis. Ask the stakeholders to draw trend lines about how the metric will be measured over the time line. For example, the metric could be profit or it could be customer satisfaction. Have everyone draw their lines on a tablet sheet (which you have prepared beforehand) and then transfer that to a large wall chart. Ensure that the senior stakeholder goes last. At least in the US, the lines go every which way and the chart will look like a bowl of noodles. You then ask each participant why their line was drawn like it was and out comes the assumptions which can be used to filter the perceptions.
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Derrick, Ghana
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Reports and Senior Qualified Personnel To eliminate or reduce the level of perception or subjectivity of a stakeholder analysis, two key issues emerge:
- Pre-determined outcome before interviewing of stakeholders, and
- Lack of ability to capture the right information from the respondents.
Executives have to manage what I call an "IN - OUT - IN STRATEGY": What we think should be the same as our stakeholders, and we should build reports to validate that. The right approach should allow the company strategy to be influenced by what their main stakeholders think and want to have their companies do for them.
Senior and qualified personnel must at all times be used for such key exercise.
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Martin Buenger, Switzerland
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Reducing the Subjectivity of Stakeholder Analysis The stakeholders analysis is always based on experience and intuition of the management. This is one of the limitations of this instrument. You can ask for reasons for the assessment, but this tends to be circular. An intuitive alternative would be to test it with a constellation.
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John Jenkins, United Kingdom
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Avoiding Subjectivity with Stakeholders In a pure sense this probably not possible, as the information in use will always be a matter of opinion. Where stakeholders are concerned, we do not have reliable statistical data or hard facts to use; the data will probably always be of a 'soft' type.
If one accepts that as a given, then reducing subjectivity becomes EITHER a process based on aggregating a number of views, opinions or assumptions to identify 'common ground' or similarities OR a proces of collecting a variety of (disparate) views that can be contrasted and compared to 'map' the scope of the differences, OR a process of combining and blending both approaches. What is the best one is depending on the circumstances and the purpose of the work.
My experience has been that however you approach this subject, meaningful dialogue' is an essential prerequisite to any productive work with stakeholders.
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Claude Balleux
Strategy Consultant, Canada
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Avoid Subjectivity Towards Stakeholders I think that this kind of exercise will never be objective. Because people are not able to answer without thinking about themselves.
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Victoria G. Axelrod, United States
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Instead of Trying to Reduce Subjectivity in Stakeholder Analysis, Use Network Analysis @Jim Burke's approach can be taken a step further by using Formal Network Analysis. I recommend to view perception as a reality. Teasing out the assumptions behind a perception may give you the rationale for that perception, but so what?
Take climate change as an issue - for every set of "objective" data claiming human peril, there are others who will marshal their "objective" data dismissing. Both are credible. How does one balance both scenarios?
Network analysis affords us a map of the stakeholders' world views or realities (perceptions/assumptions) and more importantly their degree of influence on others.
In my opinion, when we are working with the interactions of complex stakeholder groups we need to concern ourselves with influence power of stakeholders and the associated risk of their views and less on whether their perceptions are "objective" or "subjective".
Their perceptions are their reality. That is why we bring a wide mix of stakeholders in to the conversation.
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James Graham
Management Consultant, United Kingdom
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One Cannot Avoid Subjectivity @John Jenkins: Agreed. It's less about technique and more about qualitative interpretation.
As Voltaire is reputed to have said "Doubt is not an agreeable condition, but certainty is an absurd one".
15-4-2024
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Mrs.Sayran Ghafuri,Kittani
Coach, Iraq
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Cumulative Experience May Reduce the Degree of Subjectivity I believe that subjectivity cannot be avoided in stakeholder analysis, but the team may be able to reduce the degree of subjectivity through the accumulation of scientific and practical experiences among its members.
15-4-2024
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Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar
India
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Clarity of Inner Being to Reduce the Degree of Subjectivity Clarity of inner being reduces the level of subjectivity, also in stakeholder analysis. When the term "clarity of inner being" I mean avoiding human tendencies lurking at different layers such as physical, intellectual, negative emotions, positive emotions, conscious, sub conscious, guidance, engagement and spiritual layers. Clarity of inner being comes natural for some people, but does require a prolonged effort for others.
15-4-2024
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Maurice Hogarth
Consultant, United Kingdom
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Meta Mapping Subjectivity As stated, in effect: people are people and therefore by nature biased in a variety of ways, consequently every viewpoint is, to a greater or lesser degree subjective.
By definition the "stakeholders" have a stake in the success of the enterprise. That stake may have a rationalised "support image" for some but in all cases I suggest that that stake will have a "what's in it for me?" base.
So the real questions seem to be about how do we make that subjectivity visible, so that it can be accounted for in terms of the extent to which it can be seen to skew the decisions taken.
I like the approach taken by @Jim Burke. I would use the Metamapping approach to draw out the participant's reasoning. This ensures that the responses: 1) are anonymous, 2) are made visible, for reference, 3) visibly identify patterns, preferences and priorities quickly; before any discussion and decision taking. As identified in other responses to the question the discussion is then meaningful and the influence of "personality or position power" balanced out.
Subjectivity may not be removed but it can be identified and accounted for.
21-4-2024
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Mrs.Sayran Ghafuri,Kittani
Coach, Iraq
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Use Objective Criteria and Data-driven Approaches To avoid subjectivity in stakeholder analysis, it's crucial to use objective criteria and data-driven approaches. This involves clearly defining stakeholder categories, gathering empirical evidence, a...
22-4-2024
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Marcelo Martinez
Consultant, Chile
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Use the IDEA Protocol I think it is possible to apply the Investigate, Discuss, Estimate, Aggregate (IDEA) Protocol (Hanea et al., 2017)....
23-4-2024
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