What Is a Stakeholder?

A stakeholder is anyone or any organization that, logically, has a vested interest, “a stake,” in what happens to your organization.

No organization can function, let alone succeed, without the implicit if not the explicit support of its stakeholders. It certainly can’t stand against their outright opposition. This is what crisis management is all about: retaining the support of stakeholders during adverse circumstances.

Stakeholders can be both internal and external. Let’s look at some examples.

Internal Stakeholders

Employees

Family members of employees

Board of directors

Union leadership

External Stakeholders

Investors

Customers or clients

Suppliers

Referral sources

Influencers in the investment community