Ch2. Stakeholder Management and Team Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder: Any individual, group, or organization that can affect or be affected by the project.

Identification

Continuously identify stakeholders from project initiation onward — the stakeholder register is a living document.

Analysis: Power/Interest Grid

Power (High)
  │  [Manage Closely]    [Engage Closely]
  │  High power, Low interest   High power, High interest
  │
  │  [Monitor]          [Keep Informed]
  │  Low power, Low interest    Low power, High interest
  └──────────────────────────────── Interest (High)

Engagement Levels and Strategies

Current Engagement	Strategy
Unaware	Inform them
Resistant	Address concerns, persuade
Neutral	Move toward support
Supportive	Maintain relationship
Leading champion	Leverage as an advocate

Team Development: Tuckman Model

Five stages of team growth:

1. Forming: Team meets for the first time. Roles unclear, high dependency on the PM.

2. Storming: Conflicts emerge over roles and approaches. The most difficult stage.

3. Norming: Common working agreements established. Collaboration begins.

4. Performing: High performance. Team operates autonomously toward goals.

5. Adjourning: Project ends, team disbands.

PM’s leadership shifts: During Forming and Storming, directive leadership is needed. During Norming and Performing, switch to supportive and delegating styles. Matching leadership style to team maturity is the key insight.

Leadership Styles

Directing: Detailed instructions, close supervision. For new or low-skill team members.

Coaching: Instructions + mentoring. For capable but unmotivated team members.

Supporting: Encouragement and facilitation. For capable but low-confidence team members.

Delegating: Minimal oversight. For highly skilled, self-directed team members.

Conflict Resolution Methods (Best to Worst)

Problem solving/Confronting: Find a mutually acceptable solution. Best
Collaborating: Joint problem-solving. Good for long-term relationships
Compromising: Both parties yield something. Acceptable
Smoothing: Minimize differences. Short-term fix only
Withdrawal/Avoiding: Avoid the issue. Last resort
Forcing: Impose one party’s position. Damages relationships

Key Concept Cards

Power/Interest Grid ★★★★★ : Classify stakeholders by power and interest. Different engagement strategies for each quadrant.

Tuckman’s 5 Stages ★★★★★ : Forming→Storming→Norming→Performing→Adjourning. PM adapts leadership style to each stage.

Confronting (Problem Solving) ★★★★★ : The best conflict resolution method on the PMP exam. Always choose addressing root causes over short-term smoothing.

Practice Quiz

Q1. Two team members disagree on a technical approach. What is the PM’s best action?

Bring both members together, identify the root cause of the disagreement, and work collaboratively toward a solution both can accept (Confronting/Problem Solving). Simply taking sides or ignoring the conflict would harm team performance long-term.

Q2. A newly formed team is confused about roles and responsibilities. Which Tuckman stage is this, and what should the PM do?

Storming stage. The PM should clearly define roles and responsibilities, help establish team norms, and apply directive leadership to guide the team toward the Norming stage quickly.