This article is part of a series
- Part 1: Common Approaches in the Field of Socio-Technical Architectures
- Part 2: Platforms, Teams, and APIs: How Do They Fit Together?
- Part 3: Socio-Technical Architecture as a Competitive Advantage
- Part 4: Don’t Forget the People
- Part 5: How Much Thinking Can a Team Handle?
- Part 6: Internal Development Platforms
- Part 7: Enabling Stakeholders as a Success Factor (this article)
- Part 8: Socio-Technical Architectures: Informality from Mining to Today[1]
What Does Enabling Stakeholders Mean?
“Enabling stakeholders” means empowering and supporting the involved interest groups so they can actively and competently participate in a change process. This specifically includes:
- imparting knowledge needed to make informed decisions,
- providing relevant information, and
- promoting a common understanding as well as a clear communication culture.
The goal is for all participants to understand and effectively consider the overarching objectives, the technical and social aspects of a solution, as well as the business requirements across departments.
Why Is Enabling Stakeholders Crucial?
Mastering Interdisciplinary Complexity
Sociotechnical architectures are characterized by close integration of technical and human factors. They require stakeholders to understand and manage both the technical systems and business processes.
An isolated approach that focuses only on technology or the interests of individual stakeholders typically leads to incomplete or poorly fitting solutions. However, when management and teams are enabled to equally consider technical and cross-departmental business aspects, a foundation for sustainable adaptability emerges that extends beyond departmental boundaries.
Promoting Acceptance and Motivation
An architecture can only succeed if the people involved consider it valuable and actively contribute to it. When stakeholders understand the goals and benefits of the system, they are more motivated to support its implementation. Without this acceptance, projects risk facing resistance or being implemented half-heartedly, resulting in inefficient or inappropriate solutions.
Faster Adaptability in a Dynamic Environment
Our business world is characterized by constant change. Markets and technologies evolve rapidly, and companies must respond flexibly. This agility can only be ensured if stakeholders have the necessary competencies and knowledge to continuously adapt and develop the system. Empowered leaders and competent teams are invaluable in this context.
How Can We Successfully Enable Stakeholders?
To systematically and purposefully design stakeholder enabling, the following approaches have proven effective in practice:
Stakeholder Analysis and Communication Strategy
At the outset of a project, conducting a stakeholder analysis is essential to identify the needs, expectations, and potential resistance of various interest groups. This informs a communication strategy that brings all participants to a common level of understanding and actively involves them in the process. Transparent communication fosters willingness to engage with new solutions and creates the necessary foundation of trust.
Knowledge Transfer
Building shared knowledge is central to enabling stakeholders. This includes ensuring that management and departments develop a fundamental understanding of technical aspects and business processes – even across departmental boundaries. Through knowledge-sharing sessions, decision-makers can learn both the technical and business fundamentals necessary for cross-departmental decision-making.
Iterative, Collaborative Development Process
A successful sociotechnical system doesn’t emerge overnight but through an iterative, adaptable development process. An agile approach with regular feedback and adjustments ensures that the system continuously aligns with stakeholder needs. These iterations also foster collaboration and ensure the system can flexibly respond to changes.
Visualization Tools
Tools that document and visualize both technical and business process aspects of the architecture help make complexity more tangible. They provide a common basis for discussions and facilitate coordination between different departments. This transparency supports stakeholders in their decision-making and promotes cross-departmental understanding.
Who Takes Responsibility for Enabling Stakeholders?
The responsibility for enabling stakeholders often falls to specialized roles or teams that combine both technical and organizational expertise.
A prominent model suited for this purpose is the Enabling Teams described in Team Topologies. These teams act as supporters and facilitators who help other teams achieve their goals more effectively through targeted interventions.
An Enabling Team works closely with involved departments, identifies their specific needs and challenges, and provides tailored support – whether through training, workshops, or developing customized tools and processes.
When developing and implementing new collaboration or decision-making models for the entire organization or specific divisions, building a dedicated team makes sense. This team identifies appropriate approaches and communicates their application to all involved parties.
If the procedures are already clear to all participants and it’s primarily about mediating cross-departmental interests and their technical feasibility, individual experts can also share their knowledge and facilitate joint decision-making.