Common Questions
Navigate through our FAQs for answers to common questions about our approach.
Why focus on stakeholders?
Most initiatives - change, innovation, responding to crisis or changing circumstances - exist in interconnected systems of stakeholders with complex relationships, conflicting goals, and complicated internal & external forces. Often, these 'human factors' block change and hinder innovation - to the point that the majority of efforts fail:
Opposing views and resistance to change blur the way forward.
Decisions are signed off on paper but never acted upon.
Policies create unforeseen loopholes or counterproductive incentive structures.
Power dynamics and unmet needs impede follow-through.
Sound familiar? This is why finding, representing, and understanding the needs, perspectives, and points of resistance among the stakeholders in our systems is paramount. Bringing the right people to the table not only facilitates coalition-building and mitigates risk, it also harnesses the collective knowledge within your stakeholder system for the most effective and innovative outcomes.
Watch this video to learn more about why we focus on the power of stakeholder engagement.
Why focus on stakeholders?
Most initiatives - change, innovation, responding to crisis or changing circumstances - exist in interconnected systems of stakeholders with complex relationships, conflicting goals, and complicated internal & external forces. Often, these 'human factors' block change and hinder innovation - to the point that the majority of efforts fail:
Opposing views and resistance to change blur the way forward.
Decisions are signed off on paper but never acted upon.
Policies create unforeseen loopholes or counterproductive incentive structures.
Power dynamics and unmet needs impede follow-through.
Sound familiar? This is why finding, representing, and understanding the needs, perspectives, and points of resistance among the stakeholders in our systems is paramount. Bringing the right people to the table not only facilitates coalition-building and mitigates risk, it also harnesses the collective knowledge within your stakeholder system for the most effective and innovative outcomes.
Watch this video to learn more about why we focus on the power of stakeholder engagement.
Who does The Human Factor typically engage?
The group of stakeholders we convene to achieve our clients’ envisioned outcomes usually consists of a blend of the following:
Internal stakeholders within your organization, such as employees, teams, departments, employee resource groups, associations, unions, executives, and shareholders.
External stakeholders with a vested interest in your initiatives - your customers, clients, suppliers, and potentially even competitors.
Partners and collaborators such as subcontractors, industry associations, or NGOs.
Unexpected contributors or resistors that sit at relevant ‘backtables’ - those who are unseen but exert influence on your stakeholders’ perspective through norms and reputation.
(Hard-to-reach) community members and civilians if your initiatives impact local or global communities.
Regulatory bodies, depending on your industry and the problem you wish to address.
Our Secret Sauce: Subject Matter Experts and Out-Of-The-Box-Thinkers
In some cases, bringing additional perspectives to the table can help spark the best ideas and uncover potential downsides—for example, if we are looking to break through a stalemate or looking for how loopholes might be exploited. In these scenarios, we identify and recruit high-impact stakeholders from our network to join your stakeholders in generating creative solutions and testing potential directions.
These stakeholders are trained to draw on their expertise and unconventional experiences to generate ideas and uncover unexpected effects within a system. Our network of contributors includes thought leaders and experts— such as transplant surgeons, top drone manufacturers, and researchers from leading universities. And, we engage unconventional thinkers that help spot loopholes, such as law enforcement, private security, and—when appropriate—the occasional rule breaker. In the past, we have engaged experts from sectors spanning entertainment to national defense and security for a fresh and comprehensive perspective of your unique needs.
If you have questions about identifying or engaging with your stakeholders, feel free to email info@humanf.actor or schedule a time to talk to our team.
Who does The Human Factor typically engage?
The group of stakeholders we convene to achieve our clients’ envisioned outcomes usually consists of a blend of the following:
Internal stakeholders within your organization, such as employees, teams, departments, employee resource groups, associations, unions, executives, and shareholders.
External stakeholders with a vested interest in your initiatives - your customers, clients, suppliers, and potentially even competitors.
Partners and collaborators such as subcontractors, industry associations, or NGOs.
Unexpected contributors or resistors that sit at relevant ‘backtables’ - those who are unseen but exert influence on your stakeholders’ perspective through norms and reputation.
(Hard-to-reach) community members and civilians if your initiatives impact local or global communities.
Regulatory bodies, depending on your industry and the problem you wish to address.
Our Secret Sauce: Subject Matter Experts and Out-Of-The-Box-Thinkers
In some cases, bringing additional perspectives to the table can help spark the best ideas and uncover potential downsides—for example, if we are looking to break through a stalemate or looking for how loopholes might be exploited. In these scenarios, we identify and recruit high-impact stakeholders from our network to join your stakeholders in generating creative solutions and testing potential directions.
These stakeholders are trained to draw on their expertise and unconventional experiences to generate ideas and uncover unexpected effects within a system. Our network of contributors includes thought leaders and experts— such as transplant surgeons, top drone manufacturers, and researchers from leading universities. And, we engage unconventional thinkers that help spot loopholes, such as law enforcement, private security, and—when appropriate—the occasional rule breaker. In the past, we have engaged experts from sectors spanning entertainment to national defense and security for a fresh and comprehensive perspective of your unique needs.
If you have questions about identifying or engaging with your stakeholders, feel free to email info@humanf.actor or schedule a time to talk to our team.
How do I know this approach is right for my organization?
Your problem is a stakeholder problem if…
Multiple perspectives or conflicting interests contribute to the complexity of the issue.
→ Addressing high employee turnover in a tech startup where management, employees, and investors hold different expectations.Resistance or opposition from one or various parties is foreseeable.
→ Introducing a major cultural change in a government agency, facing resistance from employees, citizens, and advocacy groups.Collaboration, cooperation, or coordination is essential for a solution.
→ Driving innovation in an automotive company, requiring collaboration with suppliers, technical engineers, designers, and regulatory bodies.Addressing a stalemate or a problem you’ve tried to solve before.
→ Identifying ways to increase the number of women working at a financial services firm.
Your problem is not the right fit for our method if…
Your question focuses on an isolated group of stakeholders.
→ Conducting market research to understand the preferences of a demographic for a product launch or gathering feedback from patients to refine the design of a new medical device.You face little resistance or opposition, and collaboration is not a significant challenge.
→ Brainstorming ways to encourage more engagement on your company’s social media.
Curious if this process will be helpful for the challenge you’re facing?
Let’s talk! Contact us for a free consultation.
How do I know this approach is right for my organization?
Your problem is a stakeholder problem if…
Multiple perspectives or conflicting interests contribute to the complexity of the issue.
→ Addressing high employee turnover in a tech startup where management, employees, and investors hold different expectations.Resistance or opposition from one or various parties is foreseeable.
→ Introducing a major cultural change in a government agency, facing resistance from employees, citizens, and advocacy groups.Collaboration, cooperation, or coordination is essential for a solution.
→ Driving innovation in an automotive company, requiring collaboration with suppliers, technical engineers, designers, and regulatory bodies.Addressing a stalemate or a problem you’ve tried to solve before.
→ Identifying ways to increase the number of women working at a financial services firm.
Your problem is not the right fit for our method if…
Your question focuses on an isolated group of stakeholders.
→ Conducting market research to understand the preferences of a demographic for a product launch or gathering feedback from patients to refine the design of a new medical device.You face little resistance or opposition, and collaboration is not a significant challenge.
→ Brainstorming ways to encourage more engagement on your company’s social media.
Curious if this process will be helpful for the challenge you’re facing?
Let’s talk! Contact us for a free consultation.
What if certain stakeholders won’t ‘come to the table’ or are not safe to engage with?
In our work, we hold high regard for the people affected by the problem spaces we study. And yet, we are also attuned to their human intricacies. We are well aware that involving certain stakeholders in some problem spaces can be delicate.
Stakeholders may be burdened.
→ Relying on historically misrepresented people groups to pressure test a DEI initiative requires sensitivity.Others may simply be hard-to-reach.
→ Reaching out to civilians without access to the internet to reimagine rural medical assistance relies on innovative methods.Few may be unsafe or unreliable.
→ Involving bad actors to deal with corruption or fraud demands a careful and secure approach.
Throughout our work, we have tested and refined our approaches to engage all of the above.
Some of our past strategies included:
Engaging stakeholder proxies tapping into adjacent networks, including advocacy groups, support groups, or similar groups.
Facilitating individual interviews tailored to the circumstances or preferences of a stakeholder group.
Drawing on design methods to develop a ‘point of view’ representing absent stakeholders in roundtable meetings.
Leveraging observations to highlight data stakeholders were unaware of or hesitant to share.
Identifying helpful analogs to generate insightful perspectives in a less sensitive but relevant context.
Don’t feel like any of these methodologies address your concerns?
What if certain stakeholders won’t ‘come to the table’ or are not safe to engage with?
In our work, we hold high regard for the people affected by the problem spaces we study. And yet, we are also attuned to their human intricacies. We are well aware that involving certain stakeholders in some problem spaces can be delicate.
Stakeholders may be burdened.
→ Relying on historically misrepresented people groups to pressure test a DEI initiative requires sensitivity.Others may simply be hard-to-reach.
→ Reaching out to civilians without access to the internet to reimagine rural medical assistance relies on innovative methods.Few may be unsafe or unreliable.
→ Involving bad actors to deal with corruption or fraud demands a careful and secure approach.
Throughout our work, we have tested and refined our approaches to engage all of the above.
Some of our past strategies included:
Engaging stakeholder proxies tapping into adjacent networks, including advocacy groups, support groups, or similar groups.
Facilitating individual interviews tailored to the circumstances or preferences of a stakeholder group.
Drawing on design methods to develop a ‘point of view’ representing absent stakeholders in roundtable meetings.
Leveraging observations to highlight data stakeholders were unaware of or hesitant to share.
Identifying helpful analogs to generate insightful perspectives in a less sensitive but relevant context.
Don’t feel like any of these methodologies address your concerns?
Can my challenge be too small or too big?
If your problem is a stakeholder problem, it's likely to be just the right size–neither too small nor too big. We provide a broad range of engagement options tailored to the scale of your organization's needs—from half-day workshops to focused 4-6 week sprints and extend to comprehensive 3-4 month projects and long-term partnerships. We recognize the uniqueness of each problem space and will help you explore the optimal solution for you.
Check out our offerings here.
Can my challenge be too small or too big?
If your problem is a stakeholder problem, it's likely to be just the right size–neither too small nor too big. We provide a broad range of engagement options tailored to the scale of your organization's needs—from half-day workshops to focused 4-6 week sprints and extend to comprehensive 3-4 month projects and long-term partnerships. We recognize the uniqueness of each problem space and will help you explore the optimal solution for you.
Check out our offerings here.
Why shouldn’t we just keep this in-house?
We get it; bringing in an external partner is an investment, and your past experience with consultants may have been mixed.
Here's the challenge: While a substantial body of research highlights the benefits of stakeholder engagement to yield greater innovation and impact, an equally significant share of findings emphasizes its complexities. Here are some of the key challenges we can help you tackle:
Problems are ambiguous; identifying the right objective and strategy in a room full of opinions can be daunting.
→ We draw from tried-and-true processes and methods we used to help Fortune 500 companies and government agencies realize important and complex initiatives.Internal networks and unconscious biases limit the identification of non-obvious and hard-to-engage stakeholders.
→ We tap into our broad network of stakeholders, bringing in a fresh set of eyes as your external partner.Managing stakeholders is time-consuming, competing with internal priorities.
→ Reduce your administrative burden. Our services cover all stages of stakeholder engagement (from recruiting to offboarding).Conflict is a natural part of the process; stakeholders have differing, frequently contradictory perspectives and needs that need to be managed.
→ Our team includes experts in negotiation, conflict management, behavioral economics, and design strategy, turning challenges into opportunities for innovation.Power dynamics can make open dialogue challenging.
→ As experienced and trained workshop facilitators, we specialize in creating an environment where all voices are heard and contribute to the collaborative process.Let us be your partner in harnessing the potential of the stakeholder in your system, optimizing your existing resources to generate solutions with lasting returns—ultimately, the most efficient use of your time.
Why shouldn’t we just keep this in-house?
We get it; bringing in an external partner is an investment, and your past experience with consultants may have been mixed.
Here's the challenge: While a substantial body of research highlights the benefits of stakeholder engagement to yield greater innovation and impact, an equally significant share of findings emphasizes its complexities. Here are some of the key challenges we can help you tackle:
Problems are ambiguous; identifying the right objective and strategy in a room full of opinions can be daunting.
→ We draw from tried-and-true processes and methods we used to help Fortune 500 companies and government agencies realize important and complex initiatives.Internal networks and unconscious biases limit the identification of non-obvious and hard-to-engage stakeholders.
→ We tap into our broad network of stakeholders, bringing in a fresh set of eyes as your external partner.Managing stakeholders is time-consuming, competing with internal priorities.
→ Reduce your administrative burden. Our services cover all stages of stakeholder engagement (from recruiting to offboarding).Conflict is a natural part of the process; stakeholders have differing, frequently contradictory perspectives and needs that need to be managed.
→ Our team includes experts in negotiation, conflict management, behavioral economics, and design strategy, turning challenges into opportunities for innovation.Power dynamics can make open dialogue challenging.
→ As experienced and trained workshop facilitators, we specialize in creating an environment where all voices are heard and contribute to the collaborative process.Let us be your partner in harnessing the potential of the stakeholder in your system, optimizing your existing resources to generate solutions with lasting returns—ultimately, the most efficient use of your time.
What does your process look like?
We don’t take your challenges back to our lab and return with shiny solutions. As experienced consultants, we know that polished decks don’t change the world: humans are the driving force of change.
That’s why we approach this work as partners and ensure that those who will implement change always have a seat at the table.In short, there are four phases of this work, which are typically conducted in about 4-8 weeks:
Understanding your challenge, what has happened in the past, and where you are now
Developing an appropriate panel of stakeholders
Conducting the session(s)
And developing action plans for concrete next steps.
Learn more about the ins and outs of our process here.
What does your process look like?
We don’t take your challenges back to our lab and return with shiny solutions. As experienced consultants, we know that polished decks don’t change the world: humans are the driving force of change.
That’s why we approach this work as partners and ensure that those who will implement change always have a seat at the table.In short, there are four phases of this work, which are typically conducted in about 4-8 weeks:
Understanding your challenge, what has happened in the past, and where you are now
Developing an appropriate panel of stakeholders
Conducting the session(s)
And developing action plans for concrete next steps.
Learn more about the ins and outs of our process here.
What results can I expect from working with The Human Factor?
We’ve seen time and time again that getting the right people to the table empowers organizations to leverage the full potential of their collective insights to uncover and derisk the most creative solutions. The result? Buy-in and momentum from those involved, reducing the risk that yet another initiative will fail in implementation.
Our results are as unique as our clients’ problem spaces. Nevertheless—because we believe examples are helpful—here are some illustrations of what our outputs have looked like in the past:
Actionable roadmap for developing a stable revenue stream
Revised offering for a languishing project team with clear next steps for leadership.
Risk assessment of current programs + outline of solutions for reducing vulnerabilities
A proposed policy or program that has been vetted for vulnerability to bad actors
Alignment of disconnected executive teams on vision following a merger or acquisition
We look forward to understanding your organization’s specific needs and expectations. In the meantime, learn more about our past work here.
For more information, please visit us at thehumanf.actor or email info@thehumanf.actor.
What results can I expect from working with The Human Factor?
We’ve seen time and time again that getting the right people to the table empowers organizations to leverage the full potential of their collective insights to uncover and derisk the most creative solutions. The result? Buy-in and momentum from those involved, reducing the risk that yet another initiative will fail in implementation.
Our results are as unique as our clients’ problem spaces. Nevertheless—because we believe examples are helpful—here are some illustrations of what our outputs have looked like in the past:
Actionable roadmap for developing a stable revenue stream
Revised offering for a languishing project team with clear next steps for leadership.
Risk assessment of current programs + outline of solutions for reducing vulnerabilities
A proposed policy or program that has been vetted for vulnerability to bad actors
Alignment of disconnected executive teams on vision following a merger or acquisition
We look forward to understanding your organization’s specific needs and expectations. In the meantime, learn more about our past work here.
For more information, please visit us at thehumanf.actor or email info@thehumanf.actor.
Schedule a Call
Click here to schedule a 15-minute no-strings-attached call to discuss your organization's unique questions, opportunities, and expectations.
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© 2024 The Human Factor Consultancy LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Schedule a Call
Click here to schedule a 15-minute no-strings-attached call to discuss your organization's unique questions, opportunities, and expectations.
Book a Call
© 2024 The Human Factor Consultancy LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Schedule a Call
Click here to schedule a 15-minute no-strings-attached call to discuss your organization's unique questions, opportunities, and expectations.
Book a Call
© 2024 The Human Factor Consultancy LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Schedule a Call
Click here to schedule a 15-minute no-strings-attached call to discuss your organization's unique questions, opportunities, and expectations.
Book a Call
© 2024 The Human Factor Consultancy LLC. All Rights Reserved.