By Marie-Claude Turcotte, B.Éd., MBA, LSSBB
Why talk about stakeholders?
When preparing your organization for certification to a standard such as ISO 9001 or during strategic planning, one question often comes up: who are the relevant stakeholders for your management system? This essential step is sometimes perceived as complex or abstract. However, a clear understanding of this concept can transform your approach and reveal unexpected opportunities to improve your processes.
During a conversation with Marc Carreau, senior trainer at BNQ, one key idea caught my attention: relevant stakeholders are those who have requirements of your organization. This simple definition helps distinguish what is essential from what is not.
What is an interested party?
According to ISO standards, an interested party is a person or organization that can influence a decision or activity, or be influenced (or consider itself influenced) by a decision or activity. In practice, this refers to a person or group that can influence or be influenced by your organization. This includes a wide range of actors: employees, customers, shareholders, regulatory authorities, and sometimes even the local community. But be careful: not all of these parties are necessarily relevant to your management system.
Relevance is based on one fundamental criterion: the existence of explicit or implicit requirements for your organization. If a stakeholder does not impose any obligations, their expectations can be considered secondary in the context of your certification. Part of the process of understanding the context of the organization involves identifying its stakeholders. Among them, relevant stakeholders are those who pose a significant risk to the organization's sustainability if their needs and expectations are not met. Organizations must therefore define the results they need to deliver to these relevant stakeholders in order to reduce this risk.
Traditional stakeholders
The following categories are generally recognized:
- Employees : They expect safe working conditions, clear instructions, and appropriate training.
- Shareolders : Their priority is profitability and return on investment.
- Customers : They demand on-time deliveries, competitive prices, and compliance with specifications.
- Government antities : They enforce compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
These groups are generally relevant because their requirements have a direct impact on your management system.
What about suppliers? An area that needs to be clearly understood
For a long time, I included suppliers among the relevant stakeholders. However, my discussion with Marc Carreau led me to refine this approach. According to the ISO definition, they “influence or feel influenced by the organization,” but the real question is: do they have requirements that impact your management system?
In most cases, yes. For example, a distributor must comply with the conditions imposed by its suppliers: uniform prices, delivery times, quality standards. These constraints directly influence your processes and your ability to satisfy your customers. This makes them relevant interested parties.
However, this inclusion must be justified. If a supplier does not impose any significant requirements (for example, an occasional service provider with no impact on your critical operations), they may be considered irrelevant.
Why is this distinction crucial?
Including irrelevant parties in your analysis can waste time and energy. You risk focusing on expectations that have no impact on your certification or strategic objectives. Conversely, a targeted analysis allows you to:
- Optimize your resources by focusing on what really matters.
- Reduce the complexity of your management system.
- Improve compliance by meeting real and verifiable requirements.
How do you determine the relevant interested parties?
Here is a simple and effective approach:
1. List all influential or influenced parties.
Start by brainstorming: employees, customers, shareholders, authorities, suppliers, local community, professional associations, etc.
2. Identify their requirements.
For each party, ask yourself: what obligations do they impose on my organization? These requirements may be:
- Legal (laws, regulations)
- Contractual (clauses in a contract)
- Normative (industry standards)
- Internal (company policies)
3. Assess relevance
If a party has no formal or implicit requirements that affect your management system, it is not relevant to your ISO analysis.
4. Document your analysis
ISO auditors like clarity. A summary table showing the interested party, their requirements, and your response is often sufficient.
Practical example: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001
- ISO 9001 (Quality): Customers are at the heart of the standard. Their requirements in terms of quality and deadlines are a priority.
- ISO 14001 (Environment): Regulatory authorities and sometimes the local community become key parties because they impose environmental obligations.
- ISO 45001 (Health and Safety): Employees and government agencies are essential because their requirements directly affect workplace safety.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing influence with relevance: A party may influence your organization without imposing requirements. In this case, it is not relevant to your ISO system.
- Over-documenting: Adding irrelevant parties unnecessarily complicates your system and increases the administrative burden.
- Neglecting to update: Stakeholders evolve. Review your analysis regularly, especially after major changes (new regulations, acquisitions, etc.).
Why does this analysis reveal hidden potential?
By clarifying your stakeholders, you gain strategic insight. You identify the players who really matter and focus your efforts where they will have the most impact. This approach promotes:
- Better compliance with ISO standards.
- Targeted communication with key stakeholders.
- Reduced risks associated with non-compliance.
Conclusion: simplify to perform better
Identifying relevant stakeholders is not just an ISO requirement: it is a performance lever. By eliminating the superfluous, you gain efficiency and clarity. Your management system becomes a real strategic lever, rather than a mere administrative constraint.
Don't let your opportunities go to waste. Analyze your stakeholders now.
To learn more and discover how to identify the real needs of your stakeholders, read our article: Do you really know the needs of your stakeholders? https://www.accademia.com/en/connaissez-vous-vraiment-les-besoins-de-vos-parties-interessees/