After completion of the case study, the students will be able:1. To identify and systematically map stakeholders relevant to a project.2. Analyse stakeholder interests, motivations and power dynamics and assess implications for project success.3. Evaluate decision alternatives from a stakeholder perspective.4. Formulate effective stakeholder engagement strategies to manage resistance and build support.
In May 2024, Rajnish Kumar, a senior bureaucrat (director) in the Ministry of Education, Government of India, was scheduled to present a proposal introducing Knowledge through Hands-on Experiential Learning (KHEL) – a toy-based pedagogy, in India’s public schools. This proposal sought to implement an innovative recommendation in the country’s National Education Policy 2020 to make learning experiential, learner-centred and enjoyable. However, in the Indian context, earlier efforts to change teaching pedagogy had not succeeded primarily due to stakeholder resistance. Given this background, Kumar had to prepare a comprehensive and innovative plan to manage stakeholders. Kumar was likely face three main challenges with stakeholder management. Firstly, there was the large size and diversity of India’s school education system, spanning over a million schools and spread across 28 Indian states, each with distinct cultural practices. Secondly, the challenge of facilitating attitudinal and procedural change in India’s education ecosystem, including among bureaucrats, parents and teachers who were attuned to traditional pedagogical practices. Finally, it was necessary to persuade and equip millions of teachers to adapt their pedagogical practices for implementing toy-based pedagogy. Kumar needed to select one of the three options available to him. Firstly, he could propose an immediate national-level rollout of a standardised initiative (KHEL) across all schools (a big-bang approach). Secondly, he could recommend a limited pilot in government schools to generate evidence that can help persuade sceptical stakeholders (a gradualist approach). The final option was to position KHEL as a voluntary national-level initiative, allowing states to customise it to the pedagogical context (a laissez-faire approach).
This case study is designed for courses on stakeholder management, leadership, change management and project management. The case is particularly relevant for executive education programs and Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses that examine leadership in complex organisational settings. It can be used as a stand-alone case in courses on stakeholder management or integrated into broader modules on organisational behaviour, project management and public management. The case also lends itself to discussions of negotiation, inter-organisational coordination and managing uncertainty in environments with multiple actors and conflicting incentives.The pedagogical emphasis may vary across participant groups. Executive learners with prior managerial experience are likely to engage more quickly in identifying and analysing stakeholder dynamics, enabling greater focus on the formulation and implementation of stakeholder engagement strategies. MBA students with limited work experience may require more detailed discussion of stakeholder identification, power-interest analysis and the organisational sources of conflict before moving to strategic responses.
CSS10: Public Sector Management.
