Stakeholder Management in Complex Project: Review of Contemporary Literature

Stakeholder Management in Complex Project: Review of Contemporary Literature

Previous studies have made vital contributions to the theory and practice of engaging and managing project stakeholders. A literature review plays a critical role in supporting researchers to better understand the research topic, helping researchers identify the boundaries of the current body of knowledge and research trends, and shaping future research. Thus, this paper analyses the latest research developments in stakeholder management within the context of complex projects. It examines articles published between 2005 and 2016, and discusses the relevant trends under four themes: stakeholder analysis, stakeholder influence, stakeholder management strategies and stakeholder engagement. The paper reveals that social network analysis strongly emerges to be a valuable tool for analyzing the complexity of stakeholder interrelationships in the context of CPs. Stakeholder analysis and stakeholder engagement strategies are powerful in addressing environmental complexity (including multiple stakeholders, an environment of changing policy and regulation, and an environment with a changing nature) projects. The paper draws conclusions regarding the findings of the review, and provides some recommendations for future research.