Beyond Stakeholder Management: Organizational Listening for Nonprofit Stakeholder Engagement

Abstract

Organizational listening to solicit, consider, and incorporate information and inputs from diverse stakeholders is critical for tackling organizational and societal challenges. Yet, despite the potential benefits of organizational listening, researchers studying stakeholder engagement and communication have focused on how organizations speak to stakeholders while overlooking how organizations listen to stakeholders. Drawing on survey data from a purposive sample of 122 nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the United States and 40 interviews among these organizations, we explored organizational leaders’ conceptualization of organizational listening, including what, why, to whom, and how NPOs listen. Results also suggested operational capacity was a key factor influencing organizational listening. This study builds on prior stakeholder research to suggest organizational listening as a more holistic approach to stakeholder engagement. The findings have important implications for the research and practice in organizational listening and improving diverse participation and representation in stakeholder engagement, particularly for NPOs and mission-driven organizations.