The Influence of Themes of Interplay on Multistakeholders Engagement Amidst Adversities in Globally Distributed ICT Projects – A Case Study Approach

ABSTRACT

Stakeholder Engagement is considered a salient and ongoing challenge in globally distributed Information Communication Technology (ICT) Projects. This paper explores multifaceted aspects of stakeholder engagement from an ICT Vendor perspective using the empirical case study method. Qualitative data was gathered from two case studies from different ICT vendor organizations. The case studies involved 14 interviews with multistakeholders engaged in globally distributed projects. Qualitative data were analyzed using Nvivo® software and Associative Rules. The findings revealed the key ‘themes of interplay’ that influence stakeholder engagement during adverse situations and ‘antidotes’ to mitigate adverse situations. These findings inform a research model that can explain the phenomenon and contribute to project management practice within the ICT Vendor Community.

KEYWORDS:

• Stakeholder engagement
• multistakeholders
• interplay
• adversities
• globally distributed ICT projects

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to the editors and the anonymous reviewers for both their time and the valuable comments provided that helped significantly the improvement of this paper. We would also like to sincerely thank the organizations and individuals that took part in the case studies and provided such valuable information.