Stakeholder Engagement & Communications Strategy

Millions of dollars have been invested in transformative business initiatives only to have them fail due to the lack of stakeholder buy-in. A robust stakeholder engagement approach is at the forefront of every successful change initiative. The Federal government has a long history of engaging state and local government, Capitol Hill, private industry, non-profits and citizens. Such stakeholders represent a complex system of working relationships, expectations and requirements. Additionally, internal government stakeholders, particularly employees, are essential to engage in driving mission. Without thoughtful stakeholder engagement and communication strategies, it makes it very difficult for the public service mission to succeed.

Stakeholder Engagement

Hassett Willis and Company works with clients to develop a well-planned and executed communications and outreach strategy. This strategy is implemented before, during and after an organizational change effort and can mean the difference between change that sticks versus change that wastes resources and further disillusions employees. Hassett Willis and Company has successfully worked with clients to address the “human element” of change early in organizational transformation efforts.

An effective outreach strategy employs the methods and processes necessary to understand the needs and concerns of the audience affected by the change. It also ensures that those needs are taken into account when designing the business solution. Our outreach approach fully identifies every level of stakeholder and customer.

We then use a combination of data collection methods, such as facilitated focus groups, on-line network solicitation, surveys and other two-way interactions to engage the intended audience in assessing what they believe to be their desired end state. These interactions in turn produce the requirements, goals and objectives that shape the solution. Through these sessions, participants identify issues and risks, communicate their concerns, discuss and have clarified misconceptions and commit to the change process. 

The quantitative and qualitative data we gather from such interactions is critical in considering how to design change programs such as business process re-engineering efforts, employee development programs, and organizational and information technology modernization efforts.

Communications Strategy and Development

Communicating in a clear, accurate and timely way is sometimes underestimated or overlooked in an organization. If it is, managers can expect to run into problems and challenges that might have been avoided had a good communication strategy been in place.  Such a strategy incorporates processes that ensure that key messages are created, received, understood and, when necessary, acted upon by the recipients.

Hassett Willis and Company’s tailored communications strategy and development services are based on these elements:

• Identifying specific communication needs and key messages
• Profiling audience characteristics and mapping each audience to key messages and communication delivery vehicles
• Identifying all available communication vehicles and selecting the most appropriate according to audience needs and preferences
• Creating a communications plan outlining messages, audiences, vehicles, timelines and responsibilities
• Developing and executing the plan

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• Overview
• Business Strategy Support Services
• Organizational Effectiveness
• Workforce Effectiveness
• Program & Project Management
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communications Strategy