Management Essentials
Webinar
Managing Relationships – Stakeholders
Agenda
Review of Topic
Independent Self-Reflection: Managing Relationships – Stakeholders
Independent Self-Reflection: Graduate Employers
Review of Apply Activities
Group Discussion: Stakeholder Relationships at Netflix
Group Research and Discussion: Stakeholder Relationships at Netflix
Recap and Questions
Next Steps
Topic Learning Outcomes
Assess the value of internal and external networks
Identify sources of power that enable managers to build effective
relationships
Apply appropriate strategies to influence stakeholders
Managing Relationships – Stakeholders
Stakeholder engagement is in need of an overhaul
Enright, McElrath and Taylor (2016)
“Stakeholder engagement is in need of an overhaul.”
“There is now a broad consensus that all companies should
engage their stakeholders”.
Stakeholder engagement is in need of an overhaul
Enright, McElrath and Taylor (2016)
“But for most organisations it remains no more than a
limited reputational risk exercise.”
Business for Social Responsibility BSR
The Dimensions of Power
Lingo and McGinn (2020)
Situational Power Relational Power Dynamic Power
The Dimensions of Power and Influence
“Powerlessness tends to breed bossiness rather than true leadership.
In large organizations it is powerlessness that often creates ineffective, desultory management and
petty, dictatorial, rules-minded managerial styles.”
Moss Kanter (1979)
“The most influential leaders have an ability to make others feel powerful.
They typically share more information and made more resources available to help their peers and
subordinates to accomplish exceptional tasks.”
Bennis and Nanus (2003)
Personal Power
Whetton and Kim Cameron (2016)
Expertise Attraction Personal
Effort Legitimacy
Positional Power
Whetton and Kim Cameron (2016)
Centrality Flexibility
Visibility Relevance
Abuse of Power
• Making threats and humiliating people in front of others
• Refusing to listen to people’s concerns and worries
• Deliberating overlooking people for promotion because they
are out of favour
• Micro-managing highly skilled and experienced individuals
and/or teams
• Calling people by their surname or job title rather than their
given name
• Sending intimidating emails or text messages
Narcissism
Carter (2008) Coventry (2018)
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Why are some managers too hard on people?
Nawaz (2019)
• Extreme work pressure can bring out the worst in anyone
• Many managers are highly susceptible to having their brains
hijacked impacting their ability to think clearly, remember things, be
creative, solve problems and/or deal with large amounts of data and
information
• Given the seniority of their role and the need for them to generate
high levels of performance for organisational sustainability many try
to regain a sense of control by exerting dominance over their
employees.
Avoid the traps of abusing power as a manager
Nawaz (2019)
Listen with
curiosity
Start small
Calibrate
your
response
Set
expectations
Chunk it out!
Transforming power into a positive influence
Whetton & Cameron (2016)
Power becomes influence when others willingly consent to behave in
accordance with the desires of the power holder
The art of ‘story-telling’
Paul Smith (2012)
Start by providing some context to the story
Use authentic metaphors and analogies to
enable the listeners to create appropriate
mental images
Appeal to the listeners’ emotions
Ensure the story is tangible
Include a pleasant surprise if possible
Use a narrative style that is appropriate for
the specific business context
Move beyond telling your audience the
story to creating a scene and/or an
associated event for them to participate in
10 Minute Break
Activity: Managing Relationships – Stakeholders
Independent Self Reflection Activity: 15 minutes
Go back to the psychometric questionnaire you were asked to
complete to assess your current influencing skills.
Available at:
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/influencing-skills-quiz.htm
• What are your top three areas of development and what do you
plan to do to address these during your programme with BPP?
• Why is it important for you to improve your ability to influence
stakeholders (behaviour)?
• Why is important for managers to work on their ability to cultivate
relationships with stakeholders in an inclusive manner?
Knowledge
Skills
Behaviours
Activity: Graduate Employers
Independent Self-Reflection Activity: 15 minutes
How could you provide a strong answer to the following problem-solving
and decision making competency-based interview questions:
Tell me about a time when you had to bring others around to your way of
thinking.
Tell me about a time when you had to change your communication style
for a different stakeholder group.
What would you do if one of your key stakeholders complained about
you?
Knowledge
Skills
Behaviours
15 Minute Break
Review of Apply Activities
Case Study
Stakeholder Relationships at Netflix
Group Discussion: 45 Minutes
Which of Netflix’s ‘Real Values’ reflect Reed Hasting’s and his management teams’ approach to
diversity and inclusion within their management practice?
How might potential employees from different cultures react to Netflix’s approach to diversity and
inclusion?
How might potential employees and specifically those from different cultures react to some of the
features of Netflix’s culture such as equitable pay, inclusive benefits and board transparency ?
What is the potential impact of how Netflix Managers cultivate stakeholder relationships in terms of
promoting high levels of employee engagement and organisational performance?
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Case Study
Stakeholder Relationships at Netflix
Group Research and Discussion: 45 Minutes
• What do you admire about Netflix’s approach to diversity and inclusion?
• What (if anything) do you think that it is not getting quite right?
• What impact is their approach likely to have on their ability to win the ‘battle of the streaming
giants?”
• Would Netflix’s approach to diversity and inclusion inspire you to want to work in that
environment? Why? Why Not?
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
References
Bennis W and Nanus B. (2003). Leaders Strategies for Taking Charge, 2nd Edition. New York: Harper Collins
Carter L Dr. (2008) Enough About You, Let’s Talk About Me: How to Recognise & Manage the Narcissists in Your
Life. Jossey-Bass 2008
Coventry P. (2018) Why Does Power Abuse Persist? Business.com
Available at: https://www.business.com/articles/psychology-of-power-abuse/
Enright S., McElrath R., Taylor A. (2016) “The Future of Stakeholder Engagement.” Research Report, BSR.
Lingo, E. L. and McGinn, K. L. (2020) ‘A New Prescription for Power’, Harvard Business Review, 98(4), pp. 66–
75.
Moss Kanter, R. (1979) ‘Power failure in management circuits’, Harvard Business Review, 57(4), pp. 65–75.
Nawaz, S. (2019) ‘When Managers Take Their Stress Out on Their Employees’, Harvard Business Review Digital
Articles, p. 2.
Schawbel, D. (2012) How to Use Storytelling as a Leadership Too. Forbes
Available at:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/08/13/how-to-use-storytelling-as-a-leadership-tool/?sh=b9da4945e8e8
Whetten D.A and Cameron K. S, Developing Management Skills (2016) Chapter 5 p252-277. Pearson.
Sources
https://about.netflix.com/en
Recap
Topic Learning Outcomes
Assess the value of internal and external networks
Identify sources of power that enable managers to build effective relationships
Apply appropriate strategies to influence stakeholders
Any Questions?
Next Steps
Make sure that you have completed the Prepare section
Make sure that you have completed all of the Apply
Activities
A recording of this webinar will be uploaded to the Hub
shortly for you to watch again or review a particular
part
Complete the Additional and Extension Activities and
Self-Assess the knowledge you have gained
See you same time, same place next week
Management Essentials
Managing Relationships – Stakeholders
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