Meaning ● The Stakeholder Salience Model, within the context of SMB growth strategies, particularly around automation and implementation initiatives, provides a framework for SMB leaders to prioritize stakeholder engagement based on their perceived power, legitimacy, and urgency regarding specific organizational objectives. Power reflects a stakeholder’s ability to influence the SMB’s direction or outcomes; assessing the real source of authority is paramount. ● Legitimacy pertains to the appropriateness of a stakeholder’s claim or relationship with the business, and SMBs need to fairly consider all stakeholders rights. ● Urgency signifies the degree to which a stakeholder’s claim demands immediate attention, specifically when implementing automation in a growing SMB. Understanding these attributes aids SMBs in resource allocation and strategic decision-making regarding stakeholder management, influencing project success rates and overall adoption of growth strategies. A robust stakeholder analysis, often automated within CRM or project management systems, is essential for correct adoption of strategies. Prioritizing these stakeholders directly impacts the speed and efficiency of automation implementation within an SMB, and helps SMB leaders determine who they need to closely manage vs merely keep informed. For many SMBs it means determining how to engage both internal and external stakeholders to maintain organizational stability and to maximize project effectiveness.
