| Balancing the competing interests of stakeholders is an integral aspect of corporate management. By raising issues of concern for debate and discussion in the public sphere, stakeholders have an ability to influence organizational performance, policies, scope of operations and even survival. Managing conflict productively involves an investment in the long-term building of relationships with stakeholders, recognizing that issues such as interdependence among parties, prior history, group identity and underlying attitudes will directly affect the ability to successfully create and sustain consensus for corporate actions.; To test these ideas, this action research study analyzed 12 years of far-reaching change and dynamic stakeholder relations involving Ontario Hydro and its successor companies. This analysis encompassed the period 1990 to 2002, a time in which the organization strived to reinvent itself in response to the deregulation and proposed privatization of Ontario's electricity market. Conclusions are drawn from interviews and case study analysis, and recommendations for future stakeholder management are presented. |
