What are common barriers or obstacles to impactful stakeholder engagement?

Stakeholder engagement is not easy because it takes time, money, and people. For those implementing programs, additional outreach and engagement can be stressful to already full workloads. Common issues that may interfere with engagement processes identified by the experts we interviewed fall into two broad categories: institutional barriers and “checkbox” engagement, and a lack of robust and diverse networks. Each of these types of barriers can be addressed with thoughtful planning, training across the workforce, and support from key stakeholders in the process. 

Institutional barriers and ‘checkbox’ engagement

Some agencies have mature approaches to stakeholder engagement that build it into the culture of their organization. But, many may find it difficult to devote time and resources to engagement. For these agencies, it may seem easier to ‘check-the-box,’ by meeting minimum statutory requirements. However, agencies that take a compliance mindset will not realize the full benefits of stakeholder engagement.

Identified cultural and structural barriers to stakeholder engagement include:

  • Concerns about data ownership and loss of control associated with sharing data

  • Organizational silos 

  • Unclear authority or direction from leadership

  • Fear of change or desire to maintain status quo

  • Real and presumed legal and regulatory restrictions 

  • Absence of sufficient dedicated resources (e.g., personnel or funding)

  • Lack of training to upskill existing personnel 

  • Insufficient communications technology 

Lack of robust and diverse networks

‘Checkbox’ engagement can also have a compounding effect on robustness of input from stakeholders. When agencies are not able to fully commit to the engagement process, and instead rely on bare minimum efforts, it becomes more difficult to do the necessary work to continually capture the broadest possible stakeholder field. Missing stakeholders, such as those at the state, local, or tribal level, can result in missing key insights to the success (or failures) of agency activities, inhibiting the ability to realize fuller benefits of stakeholder engagement. In other words, the agency may not receive the full range of feedback relevant for addressing key questions the engagement process was initiated for in the first place, which could exacerbate the challenges in the policy environment. 

Gaps in stakeholder engagement and other barriers must be addressed during the initial planning stages of an engagement process. What are the actual goals? What are the resources available to accomplish these goals? Who are the proper stakeholders? How could a long-term partnership or two-way engagement relationship be beneficial to both parties? Answering these questions can ensure that you can reach your audience by anticipating potential barriers, such as communications needs and cost to participation for both the agency and the stakeholders.