Advising Upwards: A Framework for Understanding and Engaging Senior Management Stakeholders

Much has been written about leadership and team building, but there are still major gaps in thinking and research about how to engage senior stakeholders in support of an organisation's projects.The central role of stakeholders in the successful delivery of organisational strategy is becoming increasingly recognised, as is the importance of developing a sponsor culture to support more collaborative practices within the organisation.Building, and managing, relationships with senior (upwards) stakeholders is essential for success.Advising Upwards brings together the ideas of experts in fields related to engaging senior stakeholders, such as risk management, decision-making, understanding cultural considerations, effective communication and other disciplines that may enhance the sustainable engagement of senior stakeholders.The starting point is an examination of the difficulties that senior managers face as they move through the ranks of an organisation from middle management to executiv