Stakeholder Management Strategies and Practices During a Project Course

In stakeholder management, a key question is: How can an actor/organization (e.g., a project) under different contingencies apply strategies to develop the relationship with each stakeholder into a favorable one seen from the focal organization's perspective? Based on an in-depth longitudinal case study, we provide detailed descriptions of how a project management team worked with its stakeholder relationships. Applying a practice approach, we explore how stakeholder management practices emerged and evolved as embedded actions and interpretations related to perceptions of each stakeholder's harm and help potentials. We show how trust was both input to and outcomes of the managerial action.