Stakeholder Orientation

Stakeholders are those individuals or groups who have power over an organization’s success or failure. Stakeholder orientation is how organizations perceive—and therefore behave toward—their stakeholders. This behavior in turn has an impact on how stakeholders feel about an organization, which affects how they talk about and behave toward that organization. An organization’s reputation draws [Page 794]significantly on its image—that is, how its stakeholders perceive it and the impact of that perception on the mental narratives those stakeholders share with one another. These narratives reflect the experiences stakeholders have with organizations, particularly the responsiveness of organizations to stakeholders’ needs and concerns. Stakeholder orientation is therefore a crucial element in establishing and maintaining organizational reputation. This entry provides an overview of the main points of significance in ...