Sometimes, the salience model is also known as the stakeholder salience model. Project management is all about managing stakeholders’ assumptions. If your stakeholders are not satisfied with you then you are unable to complete your project successfully. If you are new in this industry, then you should start with small projects as it is easy for you to handle and satisfy the fewer stakeholders.
However, larger projects are somehow strenuous for you because of the involvement of large numbers of stakeholders.
With finite resources and in a stressful environment, it is very difficult to handle every stakeholder properly because every stakeholder has its expectations and variant concerns. So, firstly, identify your stakeholders’ requirements and concerns and then take the project, so that you can manage everything at an ease.
Classifying stakeholders is a crucial process. The whole classification of the salience model is discussed below. If you want to have complete information, then stick with us till the end. So, let’s get dive into it!
What is the Salience Model?
The salience model is a procedure for classifying stakeholders and making a decision that what matters most during the whole procedure.
A project manager is someone who has to choose the best stakeholders for a project and deal with them during the whole procedure.
Who created the stakeholder salience model?
Mitchell, Agle, and Wood (1997) introduced the stakeholder salience structure to assist managers in determining and prioritizing stakeholders via the evaluation of three attributes: power, legitimacy, and urgency.
The Salience Model:
According to the PMBOK Guide, four models can be used for classifying stakeholders which are listed below:
1. Power/interest grid
2. Power/influence grid
3. Influence/impact grid
4. Salience model
The first three models (power/interest grid, power/influence grid, influence/impact grid) are entirely similar because two parameters are used in this. However, the fourth model which is the salience model is different from others because it has other three parameters.
As per the definition, stakeholder salience is essential to consider before starting any project. The salience model was established by Mitchell, Agle, and Wood for classifying stakeholders for a project. According to this model, three parameters are used to classify the stakeholders.
- Power: Power is the impact of the stakeholder on a project’s outcome.
- Legitimacy: Legitimacy is the degree of authority any stakeholder owns.
- Urgency: Urgency is the level at which stakeholders require a call for urgent reaction.
Take note that stakeholders’ salience on your project is not fixed. It may need some changes during the project development. Therefore, you have to update the model from time to time with your stakeholders.
How many classifications are there in the salience model?
There are three categories described in the Salience Model and all stakeholders should be set somewhere within those categories. One of them is power, power for a project manager, and power for a stakeholder that is responsible for the total outcome of a project.
Salience Model Diagram:
A representative salience model diagram owns three circles for every parameter. It resembles the Venn diagram which represents the elements as points in the plane and also places regions in closed curves. The crisscrossing of these three circles produces the new 4 regions which are marked on the diagram.
Out of the crossing’s region, there are more than 3 regions. These total 7 regions speak for variant types of stakeholders in the project.
According to the Salience Model Diagram, there are three classes of stakeholders that can be expounded:
- Latent Stakeholders:
Latent stakeholders are the stakeholders with only one of the 3 attributes, legitimacy, power, and urgency.
Latent stakeholders do not get involved in the project so deeply.
Dormant, Discretionary, and Demanding stakeholders are categorized as Latent stakeholders.
- Dormant: Stakeholders that own low urgency, low legitimacy, and along high rate of power.
- Discretionary: Stakeholders that hold low urgency, and low power but along high legitimacy.
- Demanding: Stakeholders that own low legitimacy, low power, and high urgency.
2. Expectant Stakeholders:
Expectant stakeholders are the stakeholders that own two of the 3 attributes. Dominant, Dangerous, and Dependent stakeholders are categorized as Expectant stakeholders:
- Dominant: Stakeholders that have low urgency and high power, high legitimacy.
- Dangerous: Stakeholders that have low legitimacy and high urgency, high power.
- Dependent: Stakeholders that have low power and high urgency, high legitimacy.
3. Definitive Stakeholders:
Definitive stakeholders are the stakeholders that have three out of three attributes. They are called the core stakeholders. They are usually having high power, high urgency along high legitimacy.
Therefore, as a project manager, you have to give more attention to these stakeholders.
What is the purpose of salience?
The word salience means “the quality of being particularly noticeable, important, or prominent”.
Stakeholder salience meant all the attention and importance you have to give your stakeholders during any plan execution and decision-making.
Strategy for Stakeholders Management:
The stakeholder management strategy should be followed by the obtained results from the salience model.
- You have to give the top -priority, and attention to the definitive stakeholders. Because they own all the three attributes such as power, urgency, and legitimacy.
- You have to give the next high level of priority and attention to the expectant stakeholders because they own a blend of any two attributes.
- You have to give very little priority and attention to latent stakeholders. Because they own only one attribute.
What stakeholder attributes do Mitchell et al 1997 suggest make stakeholders salient?
Mitchell et al (1997), determined the stakeholder attributes of power, legitimacy, and urgency. The possession of these attributes will determine which stakeholders are most likely to be salient than others. Whom you have to give more attention and priority during making any decision.
Final Takeaway:
The salience model and its classification have been discussed thoroughly above you can check all the details easily right here. The salience model and the stakeholders are both necessary things for project managers to make their projects successful. How did you find this content, share your opinion in the comment box below?