Theme 7: Network management, partnerships and stakeholders
The present institutional setting seems to indicate a growing attention for the involvement of stakeholders, albeit internal stakeholders (i.e. within the organisation/enterprise, like employees) or external stakeholders (i.e. outside the organisation/enterprise, like public institutions, not for profit/profit partners, beneficiaries, trade unions and citizens). Within not for profit organisations, this growing attention for stakeholders often leads to structural adaptations regarding decision-making processes and information sharing. Additionally, legal and juridical constructions are – need to be - developed to embed this decision-making and informational involvement. As such, stakeholders often become “full” partners of not for profit organisations. Finally the awareness, commitment and impact of these stakeholders on the general position and added value of not for profit organisations in our society are profoundly changing.
Related policy and research questions of this theme could be:
• What are alternative ways in which several types of stakeholders are or can structurally be involved in the decision making processes and/or information sharing of not for profit organisations?
• What are the pros and cons of these alternatives or how do they influence the organisation?
• What are possible - experienced - best practices as well as conditions of “success”?
• What are associated and/or “needed” legal and juridical constructions?
• How can this regulation protect and/or guarantee the not for profit identity after admitting and involving stakeholders with different or other – conflicting – interests?
• Are different regulations necessary depending on the degree of political and economic democracy and on the level of economic development?
• Do different types of stakeholders constitute an identifiable “community” and how do these communities commit themselves to not for profit organisations?
• What is the added-value of involved stakeholders on the performance of not for profit organisations?
• What is the importance and the role/function of social capital in a multi-stakeholders approach of not for profit organisations?
• In this perspective, is education to citizenship and participation in the light of 'solidarity' essential for the success of such a stakeholder approach?
Related policy and research questions of this theme could be:
• What are alternative ways in which several types of stakeholders are or can structurally be involved in the decision making processes and/or information sharing of not for profit organisations?
• What are the pros and cons of these alternatives or how do they influence the organisation?
• What are possible - experienced - best practices as well as conditions of “success”?
• What are associated and/or “needed” legal and juridical constructions?
• How can this regulation protect and/or guarantee the not for profit identity after admitting and involving stakeholders with different or other – conflicting – interests?
• Are different regulations necessary depending on the degree of political and economic democracy and on the level of economic development?
• Do different types of stakeholders constitute an identifiable “community” and how do these communities commit themselves to not for profit organisations?
• What is the added-value of involved stakeholders on the performance of not for profit organisations?
• What is the importance and the role/function of social capital in a multi-stakeholders approach of not for profit organisations?
• In this perspective, is education to citizenship and participation in the light of 'solidarity' essential for the success of such a stakeholder approach?
