EGAN’S SHADOW-SIDE THEORY
Use this to develop strategies for dealing with the different stakeholders who may support or hinder your change plans.
Gerard Egan argues that different approaches need to be taken to manage different stakeholders within an organisation. He categorises the stakeholders as follows:
Allies: Those who, if encouraged sufficiently, will support you.
Fellow travellers: Those who support the agenda for change but not necessarily you.
Fence sitters: Those whose allegiances are unclear, even to themselves.
Loose cannons: Those who you have no idea of which way they’ll jump.
Opponents: Those who oppose the agenda for change but have nothing against you personally.
Adversaries: Those who oppose you and the agenda for change.
Bedfellows: Those who support the agenda but may not trust you.
The voiceless: Those who have little or no power to support or oppose the agenda for change.
Partners: Those who support the agenda for change.
Egan describes working on the ‘shadow-side’ as a way of dealing with stakeholders who can’t be dealt with using the organisation’s usual practices. Partners and Allies need to be kept onside, whereas Opponents and Adversaries may have to be discredited or marginalised. Fence sitters and the Voiceless should be seduced to ensure they don’t go over to the other side.
HOW TO USE IT
- Recognise the role that the organisation’s stakeholders play in the success of major change events.
- Recognise that this theory is concerned with organisational politics and power (see Section 11) and that without some political savvy you’ll ‘get done’ by those who play the game better.
- Identify and get to know the key stakeholders in your organisation. Do this even if you don’t envisage making a change in the near future. Work out what power, influence and interests each stakeholder has.
- Identify those stakeholders that might have an impact on your project. Rank them in terms of possible impact. The stakeholder with low power and low interest needn’t take up too much of your time. It’s those with high power and high interest that you have to engage with and develop as allies (see Theory 65).
- Continue to keep a watchful eye on the others and brief them regularly, but remember where your priorities lie.
- Get to know how each stakeholder feels about your change agenda and you personally. This will help you deal with them. Socialising with people you don’t particularly like may be a chore but the odd drink outside of work may save hours of work in the office and at formal meetings.
- Remember, as the agenda for change rolls out it will affect more people. In focusing on the Opponents and Adversaries don’t lose sight of the importance of consolidating your Partners and Allies.
- As the change progresses, monitor what the Fence sitters, Loose cannons and the Voiceless are doing. If they suddenly side with the opposition it could prove disastrous for you.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
- Have I identified all the stakeholders connected to the change?
- Do I know which stakeholders I need to concentrate my efforts on?