Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control, Third Edition

that may exist relative to a given project. Piercy (1997, p. 591) sets out gen-
eral categories into which staff can fall (see Figure 13.6).

Strategic implementation 265

Influence over issues

High Low

Supportive

Attitude to

issue

Opposed

Influential

supporter

Non-involved

supporter

Influential

opposition

Non-involved

opposition

Figure 13.6

Key players matrix

Those with influence, often the appropriate decision-making unit
(DMU), need careful consideration. Common tactics include:

● Converting or isolating opposition.
● Upgrading the status of influential supporters.
● Recruiting the active involvement of non-involved supporters.
● Negotiation and trade-off with vested interest.

In short, the success of any programme requires sufficient influence and
support. This becomes more complex when the project generates high
levels of change.
The issue of supporters and their influence tends to relate to the dreaded,
but vital concept of internal office politics. Within the organisation, polit-
ical behaviour can be either desirable or undesirable. Often this depends
on your perspective. Good strategies can flounder on the rocks of political
self-interest and behaviour.
Kakabadse (1983) identifies seven common approaches to playing the
political game. They are as follows:

1 Establish who the interested parties are – the stakeholders.
2 Consider their comfort zones. What do they value, fear or tolerate?
3 Work within these comfort zones.
4 Use networks – those interested or influential.
5 Identify ‘gatekeepers’ and adhere to the norms of the network.
6 Make deals for mutual benefit.
7 Withhold and withdraw. Consider withholding information and know
when to withdraw from areas of conflict and dispute.