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The Complexities of Stakeholder Engagement

There is no perfect solution or one-size-fits-all framework for community participation/stakeholder engagement. Even well-intended teams or companies will inevitably face obstacles and, with guidance, learn from failures.

• For example, the introduction of “general purpose AI” or AI systems that can be adapted to various use cases (e.g., ChatGPT used to power AI agents for specific purposes) also makes conducting stakeholder engagement difficult because thinking about stakeholder engagement too broadly - not associated with a specific objective related to a particular phase of development in mind - can make it very difficult to identify the appropriate set of stakeholders to engage or make it too easy to skip over key stakeholders. The scale of these AI technologies also means that impacted communities might involve many people beyond “end-users” or “customers,” making it even more difficult for developers to pre-empt every possible use case of an AI technology.

Navigating the Complexities of Stakeholder Engagement

Since there is no single approach to conducting “good” stakeholder engagement, the purpose of this resource is not to establish a single methodology that can be adapted to all use cases. Rather, it is designed to help the reader:

1. more clearly identify the purpose or aim motivating the stakeholder engagement
2. recognize a stakeholder engagement Sponsor’s purpose may be different from that of the Participant community they are seeking to work with
3. establish a stakeholder engagement strategy that is in better alignment with the needs and benefit of the Participant communities whose help is being sought

The Framework should also assist everyone in better assessing risks and harms that might arise from implementing a stakeholder engagement strategy, including identifying likely pain points or obstructions that might harm the relationship between Sponsors and Participants. It is meant to serve as a means to break down the complexity of stakeholder engagement strategies to more digestible, easier to navigate components. It outlines key dimensions of stakeholder engagement that experts in the field take into consideration when determining the applicability and appropriateness of the approach to the issue being addressed through stakeholder engagement, and most importantly, whether that approach aligns (or not) with the well-being of that participant community.

There will be many circumstances where all the resources typically recommended for a stakeholder engagement process (e.g., adequate financial compensation) is not available. However, by thoughtfully considering each of these different dimensions of stakeholder engagement, it is possible to work within the limitations that arise with corporate-led stakeholder engagement activities to improve outcomes for and fair treatment of the Participants, while managing expectations and being transparent about who holds the power at what stage.

Previous: Overview of Actors & Institutions

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Next: Features of the Analytic Framework