UNIT CMI 305 Building Stakeholder Relationships Using Effective Communication TASK 1: The purpose of building stakeholder relationships It is essential manageme

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SCENARIO A

Working with stakeholders:  You are a team leader working in a large organisation.  As part of your role you come into contact with a variety of internal and external stakeholders. 

Internal stakeholders include your own team members, project teams from across the organisation (based on and off site), your manager and/or members of the management team as well as stakeholders from other departments such as IT Services, Facilities, Finance, Learning and Development, Customer Services and Human Resources.

External stakeholders you come into contact with include customers, sales representatives, government agencies and partner agencies to the organisation.

To complete Tasks 1 (a and b) you may choose to use scenario A to support your answer.  Alternatively, you may use examples of managing stakeholders in an organisation you know well or have researched.

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TASK 1a

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

Stakeholder group

Assessment of the benefits of building the relationship with the stakeholder group

1.

Internal stakeholders

Define and give examples

1. Explain how internal stakeholders benefit the organisation
2. Possible conflicts with other stakeholders giving examples
3. Explain how potential conflicts are resolved through effective communication for organisational benefit

2.

Connected stakeholders

Define and give examples

1. Explain how connected stakeholders benefit the organisation
2. Possible conflicts with other stakeholders giving examples
3. Explain how potential conflicts are resolved through effective communication for organisational benefit

3.

External stakeholders

Define and give examples

1. Explain how external stakeholders benefit the organisation
2. Possible conflicts with other stakeholders giving examples
3. Explain how potential conflicts are resolved through effective communication for organisational benefit

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TASK 1b

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

Explain the need for stakeholder mapping. Explain how the Mandelow Matrix is used to assess and address stakeholder expectations. Give examples from own organisation 

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SCENARIO B

Communicating with stakeholders:  You have recently had a Performance Development Review (PDR). You are keen to progress into higher management and one area of development that has been discussed is the need for you to review your approach to communicating and building relationships with stakeholders.

The internal stakeholders are primarily based on site, however the work patterns of staff vary as there is a flexible working arrangement, with many working from home on certain days of the week. All staff have a company laptop, however it can be difficult to build relationships with them when the primary method of communicating is through email. 

You come into contact with a wide variety of external stakeholders.  Communicating with them requires a flexible approach as not all have good access to technology and some prefer face to face communication.  A number of external customers have a communication need. An example of this is when English is not their first language. You communicate with a number of external stakeholders sporadically and there are some stakeholders you have never met in person. 

You acknowledge that you want to improve how you use communication to build relationships with others and have made it a personal goal to investigate how this can be achieved.

To complete 2 (a, b, c and d) you may choose to use scenario B to support your answer.  Alternatively, you may use examples of communicating and building relationships with stakeholders in an organisation you know well or have researched. UNIT CMI 305 Building Stakeholder Relationships Using Effective Communication

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TASK 2a

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

You can again use the Mandelow Matrix to decide on effective communications plan and strategies 

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TASK 2b

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

Type of verbal communication

Use for building relationships with stakeholders

1.

Define verbal communication (ref) and give examples

Words-talking & listening  

Apply the Mendelow Matrix to establish how effective the verbal communication tool would be effective

2.

Telephone call

Radio

AA

3.

Meetings

AA

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TASK 2c

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

Define active listening (ref) and explain how it can benefit stakeholder groups per Mandelow Mapping and apply to own organisation. There are resources/articles on Moodle   

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TASK 2d

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

Type of written communication

Use for ensuring information is shared effectively with stakeholders

1.

Email (explain)

Refer to the agreed communication plan with the stakeholders and apply to which group and how emails can be more effective in terms of the subject and frequency

2.

Reports

As Above

3.

Internet -organisation website

AS Above

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SCENARIO C

Leading the stakeholder meeting: In your manager’s absence you have been asked to lead a small stakeholder meeting to discuss a new customer service initiative that has been implemented.  You are keen to make a good impression and want to lead an effective meeting.

To complete 2e you may choose to use scenario C to support your answer.  Alternatively, you may use refer to a stakeholder meeting you have led or refer to examples of managing stakeholders in an organisation you know well or have researched.

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TASK 2e

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

Refer to the agreed communication plan and to which group meetings would be suitable and explain how effective meetings should be structured and led (there is a resource on Moodle)

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SCENARIO D

Barriers to stakeholder communication: An extract from a conversation.

“When you plan to speak to someone in person there always appears to be an interruption, either by others or simply noise from the working environment. 

People are so busy, it is difficult finding a time to communicate; if one person is free to have a discussion, another participant’s diary is full.

Finding the right way of communicating is also a challenge, emails can go unread. It can be hard to contact others over the telephone. I find that responding to the needs of individuals for whom English is not their first language is a daunting experience.

There are a number of people I know who have a dislike of using technology. Other stakeholders I communicate with do not have access to technology.  It would be great to try something innovative, such as a ‘virtual meeting’ but I am not sure how this would be received. 

There is often the case of ‘Office Politics.’ People often say they only want to speak to the senior person in charge which can be very frustrating. Finally it isn’t always possible to communicate openly and share information with others due to meeting the requirements of the organisation’s communication policy.

It is a miracle anyone communicates at all!”

To complete Task 3 you may choose to use scenario D to support your answer.  Alternatively, you may base your response on well-chosen examples of barriers faced when communicating with stakeholders in an organisation you know well or have researched.

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TASK 3

COMPLETE THE TABLE:

Explain the barriers to effective communication

Discuss how to respond to barrier to communication

1.

See power point on Moodle

2.

3.

To complete Task 4a you may base your response on well-chosen examples of communication used in an organisation you know well or have researched.

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TASK 4a

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

See power point on Moodle

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CASE STUDY

As part of the review process to assess the performance of the stakeholder group who meet regularly to discuss new customer service initiatives, a wide range of constructive feedback was given by participants. The following is a summary of key points:

• There is a commitment to the values of dignity and respect
• There is a collective desire to make customer services better even when there are differences in opinion
• The aims and objectives of stakeholder meetings are not always clear
• There are four outstanding actions which have not been completed since the last meeting
• Communication between stakeholder group members could be improved
• Meeting attendance is inconsistent and is currently averaging sixty percent attendance per meeting.

To complete Tasks 4b and c you may choose to use this case study to support your answer.  Alternatively, you may base your response on well-chosen examples of communication with stakeholders in an organisation you know well or have researched.

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TASK 4b

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

See power point on Moodle

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TASK 4c

INSERT YOUR ANSWER HERE:

See power point on Moodle

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REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

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ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE

Refer

Pass

• The submission is incomplete
• Tasks are incomplete
• Not all assessment criteria have been met
• No examples are used or the examples given do not match the requirements of the assessment criteria
• Evidence is
  • Unclear
  • Technically incorrect or inaccurate
  • Biased
  • Unprofessional language
  • Poorly structured and presented
  • Ideas are under developed
  • Lacks sufficient detail to show understanding of the topic
  • The application of concepts, models and theories to the management and leadership role or workplace is unclear
  • Evidence is not directly attributable to the learner
  • External sources of information are not acknowledged
  • Work based evidence or artefacts (e.g. planning documents or presentation slides) do not meet the requirements of the assessment criteria and are not current (within 5 years)
  • All tasks have been completed
  • All assessment criteria have been met
  • Examples given are well chosen and match the requirements of the assessment criteria
  • Evidence is
    • Well written and presented
    • Contains a breadth of examples
    • Accurate
    • Current (e.g. use of up to date legislation)
    • Authentic
    • Inclusive
    • Coherent
    • Credible
    • Technically correct
  • Evidence shows an understanding of different perspectives
  • Concepts, models and approaches and have been applied correctly in context of the management and leadership role or workplace
  • Evidence used from external sources has been correctly referenced
  • Evidence is directly attributable to the learner
  • Work based evidence or artefacts (e.g. planning documents or presentation slides) match the requirements of the assessment criteria and is current (within 5 years)