Stakeholders as change agents?

In the face of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), patterns and assumptions on management are being reshaped, particularly in the dynamic realm of change management. With organizations effectively functioning as political arenas, where both internal and external actors bargain and negotiate for power and influence, the importance of the political frame when managing organizational change is magnified. The stakeholder approach has emerged as one of the main frames through which to examine strategic decision-making and organizational change management; yet the approaches’ inherent nature is highly contextual, ultimately providing no general conclusions or solutions. However, recognizing the change agent potential that stakeholders as key drivers of organizational dynamics have, we open up the context to explore the more practical implications of stakeholder prioritization and deprioritization, and the consequences regarding stakeholder involvement in managing organizational change. By bridging the gap between the generally perceived stakeholder approach and managing organizational change, this study aims to provide insights into the strategic utility of stakeholder management within organizational change processes, offering a multimethod narrative-based exploration of its context-dependent nature. This thesis aims to shed more light upon the various interdependencies within the relevant academic overlap, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of elements of the stakeholder approach in today's ever-evolving landscape of organizational change management.