A complexity perspective on project stakeholder management

Abstract

Managing stakeholders is an essential part of complex project organizing. Stakeholder management is a key activity for creating value to project stakeholders and ensuring successful project delivery.However, previous research suggests that stakeholder management is challenging due to project complexity. While stakeholder management and project complexity are vastly researched themes in the field of project management, the intersection of stakeholder management and project complexity has received less attention, especially regarding how project complexity influences stakeholder management. The purpose of this chapter is to apply a complexity of projects perspective and use its three dimensions, structural, socio-political, and emergent complexity, as a framework to discuss how project complexity influences stakeholder management. The chapter provides insights into the main challenges but also shares opportunities in taking a complexity perspective on managing project stakeholders. We conclude with future research ideas, including suggestions for potential research questions and theoretical perspectives to be mobilized forward.