The Organizational Network Fieldbook: Best Practices, Techniques, and Exercises to Drive Organizational Innovation and Performance

Chapter 22. MANAGING EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS AND STEMMING KNOWLEDGE LOSS

Carlota Vollhardt and Brigitte Lippmann

For many organizations, managing relationships with key stakeholders is a critical business challenge. In industries from finance to consumer goods to pharmaceuticals, informed decisions and outcomes require input from various external groups. Managing a multiplicity of relationships can be a difficult and complicated task because many groups within an organization may have both unique and overlapping relationships with one stakeholder.

The challenge is even greater when individuals who have been the main channels of information flow between a company and a stakeholder organization change roles or retire. At the very least, the company ...