Case study 1 deals directly with preparing a stakeholder engagement plan. Case study 4 relates to work undertaken to understand the local context for Indigenous Peoples.
Understanding project/activity stakeholders
Before stakeholder engagement commences it is important that companies and practitioners have a preliminary understanding of the local context – particularly when entering new locations/areas.
The first step in this process is stakeholder identification – determining who the stakeholders are, and their key groupings and sub-groupings (e.g. gender, age, culture, religion). This includes identification of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
Key questions that can be used to help identify stakeholders include:
- Who is impacted by the project/activity?
For example, neighbours, landowners, rightsholders, local businesses, the local community. - Who may influence the project/activity?
For example, local/provincial governments, community leaders, politicians. - Who has knowledge about the project/activity?
For example, the academic community, NGOs. - Who has an interest in the project/activity?
For example, local community groups, special interest groups.
Once stakeholders have been identified they can be analysed in the context of the local socio-cultural environment via a stakeholder analysis. This stakeholder analysis will provide a more in-depth look at the interests and priorities of stakeholder groups, how stakeholders will be impacted by a project/activity and to what extent stakeholders may influence a project/activity.
The outcomes from the stakeholder identification and analysis process provide the basis from which a stakeholder engagement strategy/plan can be developed.