Modelling a Process Approach to Operationalizing Stakeholder Engagement: A CSR Perspective

• In Event: Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

This paper proposes a process model of operationalizing stakeholder engagement in the context of CSR. Data from nine companies about the engagement activities they undertake as part of their CSR operations are used to extend and refine an existing process model of stakeholder engagement. The revised model includes a three-step process of operationalization: identifying and selecting participants, reaching them and securing their interest, and implementing engagement tactics. The engagement leads to legitimation of the organization involved, the process of engagement itself, and the decisions reached as an outcome of that engagement. From a practitioner perspective, this paper provides insights into factors that both facilitate and impede the conduct of stakeholder engagement, thus providing a platform for improving the experience for those involved. Theoretically, the paper makes a contribution to the ongoing attempts to develop a model of stakeholder engagement that adequately encompasses its complexity and challenges.

Authors

• Anne B Lane, Queensland U of Technology

• Bree Devin