Effective Stakeholder Management - Essay Example

The main ingredients of a successful report are: the opening paragraph should state any terms of reference; some presentations may give a sum¬ of any recommendations at the beginning; the body of the presentation should be set out in clear statements and side headings may be shown. The rationale means that stakeholders are motivated and persuaded to accept and approve the project. Obviously, this approach does not take cultural or political considerations into account. The appeal is the communications approach that relates to the motives of the target audience (internal and external stakeholders). A part of the presentation, based on a rational approach, will depend on logic and speak to the stakeholders’ intellect. Another part, based on an emotional approach, will appeal to the heart of the intended audience. Also, visual aids (graphs, tables, schemes, etc.) can help the audience to grasp the idea at once (Adair, Thomas 2003).
In order to address the needs and expectations of external stakeholders (the American society and global community) emotional approach will be used. (1) Facts and current statistics concerning terrorist attacks and the number of deaths per year will help to persuade this group to crucial role in project X for the global community (tables and graphs can help to present the information). Lots of politicians are sure that terrorists have access to a weapon of mass destruction, but they either are afraid to use them or wait for a suitable moment to do it. (2) The USA has a reliable Defense System, but technology (and Information Technology) needs some improvements and changes over time. Project X is aimed at developing state-of-the-art AMDS. Only in this case, it will be possible to protect major cities of the USA from enemy missile attacks. Apart from the grief and pity the events of 11 September brought to millions of American people, it has also granted U.S citizens the understanding that they are not safe living in isolation from the problems other countries experience.
For another group of stakeholders (the Department of Defense, the state authorities, suppliers, and regulators) rational approach will be used. The project presentation will be based on facts and (1) the technical advantages of the new system for the community and (2) the importance of the new AMDS in five years. In contrast to current systems in use, project X involves such elements as the latest detection device with a code name (SKYEYE) and a fully automatic mobile housing unit. Also, this project will help to sustain the strong military position of the USA and prove its military leadership in all spheres. The American government had always "zero tolerance" policy towards terrorism, but after 9/11 many politicians and ordinary citizens understood that the U.S. government had to act much more intensively to prevent other terrorist acts both on its territory and worldwide. Sustainable development demands extensive direct and intermediate changes and innovations of products and markets (Lamb, Mckee 2005).
Internal stakeholders include project teams and managers. For this group of stakeholders, it will be important to include detailed technical information about AMDS and underline the uniqueness of the project (plans, and project schemes will be used). (1) These professionals and scientists could make a great contribution to national security and the system of defense. It is a great chance for most of them to apply their knowledge into practice and work for the public good.