Click Here to Return Home Taking the Buzz! Nicola Stanley - Managing Director of Silver Dialogue - asks if there is more to the concept of stakeholder empowerment than a handful of buzzwords and high-tech tools. Have you ever dined with consumers to talk about a new product innovation? Enlightened companies do it as part of their new idea generation. Even nuclear weapons establishments hold dinner parties with key local stakeholders such as community leaders and business owners to discuss possible issues. Question: is this type of activity 'dialogue', 'consultation', 'participation' or 'research'? Answer: it could be any of these - they are all stakeholder engagement techniques.           New buzz words are developed everyday to describe the processes of understanding the end-consumer, customer or other stakeholder. Such words are common in both the private and public sectors. They depict ways to build relationships and deliver competitive insights to underpin successful innovation.      Market research traditionally developed to narrow the widening gap in modern industrial society between the producer and the ultimate consumer. Yet technology of today allows the manufacturer/retailer to have a closer relationship with the customer in the way the corner shop owner used to have a vital connection with the community they served.      Today the growth of direct e-communications through the internet, by e-mail - and, increasingly, via mobile communications and interactive TV- allows a closer and more continuous connection between the end customer/consumer on both a qualitative and a quantitative basis. The degree of engagement technology therefore affords us also empowers us as both consumers and business stakeholders.           As an independent consultant working in the field of stakeholder engagement, it is essential to keep ahead of (and help to develop) new techniques in research and interactive communications. The personal toolkit includes an array of quantitative and qualitative capabilities including interactive communications (such as e-brochures, e-surveys and e-consultations) and business workshop facilitation techniques, as well as focus group moderation and conflict resolution skills.      Among the examples of new interactive research/communications techniques for stakeholders are: E-Brochures - These explore and analyse which parts of an e-mailed brochure are of most interest to different target groups. E-Decide - This assesses how an individual might change his or her mind on a poll when given more information about the subject and the impact their decision could make.     Increasingly, however, interactive and traceable research systems will be required for the businesses of tomorrow. E-research solutions are an important part of this future. There are moves to make businesses more accountable to their stakeholders, particularly in the area of corporate governance, social, ethical and environmental initiatives. More transparency in decision making based on stakeholder views will be required. Interactive research and communication systems are an important way to make this whole process happen. For a related article from Silver Dialogue Ltd on Dialogue, Corporate Reputation and Trust Building - published by the Association of Qualitative Professionals - click on the following link "When Companies Lack Trust".
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