© ISO 2007 - all rights reserved
65 engagement do not necessarily need an organization to develop a new communication system, but can
2727 entail building on existing experiences, approaches and results. Stakeholder engagement consists of two
2728 main components:
2729
Identification of stakeholders; and 2730
The engagement process itself.
2731 An organization may wish to engage with stakeholders on its overall actions related to social responsibility
2732 or perhaps on a specific issue or project. The aims of the engagement should be clear from the outset to
2733 manage the expectations of those involved in the process.
2734
7.3.2 Identification of stakeholders
2735 [The definition of a stakeholder can encompass such a wide range of groups that it is impossible for an
2736 organization to engage in a meaningful way.] [Individuals and groups will have many interests and can have
2737 various interests with respect to the activities of an organization.] An organization should identify its
2738 stakeholders [on the basis of their interests and in particular, on the relationships of these interests to the
2739 welfare of society and sustainable development and the nature of the relationship of the stakeholder to an
2740 organization]. Taking this focused approach enhances the value of dialogue with stakeholders and helps to
2741 maintain the relationship with the stakeholder over the long term.
2742 No organization can engage with all its stakeholders at the same time or to the same level of intensity. Nor
2743 can an organization necessarily address all stakeholder interests simultaneously and with equal effort.
2744 Stakeholders have interests that are different from, and may at times conflict with, the interests of other
2745 stakeholders and perhaps the organization itself.
2746 2747
7.3.2.1 The identification process 2748
An organization should identify all of the individual stakeholders and stakeholder groups, both internal and 2749
external, that have interests in its social responsibility. An organization’s existing relationships can act as a 2750
starting point for the identification of stakeholders, but consideration should also be given to stakeholders 2751
with whom an organization does not yet have relationships. During stakeholder identification an 2752
organization should consider the following six points. 2753
First, some stakeholders will be essential for an organization to determine and address its issues of social 2754
responsibility. The relationship between an organization and other stakeholders may be more strategic in 2755
nature. 2756
Second, how precisely an organization identifies stakeholders may have a dramatic effect on an 2757
organization’s ability to forge relationships with them and ultimately address their interests as appropriate. 2758
Care should be taken to identify the most appropriate people from within groups. This is particularly 2759
challenging when engaging with groups that are not formally organized for example, neighbours to a plant. 2760
[Third, those within the organization who are identifying the stakeholders will often have differing views on 2761
who should be included. These views may differ due to experience, roles and education. Involving a team 2762
of people in the identification process may help avoid bias.] 2763
Fourth, some stakeholders may identify themselves. An organization should consider the legitimacy of 2764
stakeholders’ interests with reference to sustainable development and the welfare of society and be 2765
transparent in its decision. 2766
Fifth, some stakeholders may be surrogates for others, for example, young children. There can be 2767
representation issues with this approach and an organization should be aware of potential abuses. Some 2768
representation may not be consistent with sustainable development and the welfare of society. 2769
Sixth, the stakeholder list may differ among geographic regions, the activities of the organization and 2770
whether the whole or part of the organization is under consideration. 2771
[An organization should identify all the individual stakeholders and stakeholder groups, both internal and 2772
external, that have an interest in its social responsibility.] [Some stakeholders may be identified by several 2773
66
© ISO 2007 - all rights reserved
means for example, focus groups, surveys, public announcements of the identification process and 2774
invitations to stakeholders to indicate their interest in becoming involved.] 2775
More simply, an organization could ask itself a number of questions, for example: 2776
Who has interests that might be positively or negatively affected by the organization or project?
2777
Who has been involved in similar matters in the same region in the past? 2778
Who has said they would like to be involved?
2779
Who has expertise that could be useful in improving the organization’s social responsibility? 2780
Who would be dissatisfied if they were excluded from the engagement?
2781 Once the identification process has taken place, the stakeholder list should be documented and revisited
2782 periodically as interests and relationships change and develop over time. One documentation method is the
2783 stakeholder map see Figure 2.
2784 2785
Figure 2 Stakeholder map for a publicly traded business 2786
2787
7.3.2.2. Prioritisation of interests
