Business Group Management Plan
A Business Engagement Manager (BEM) uses the Business Group Management Plan to track the key stakeholders in a business group and plan actions to help the group increase the value it achieves from investments in learning.
The Group Management Plan clarifies how BEMs allocate their time by answering these questions:
- How well are we currently serving this business group?
- What goals do we wish to achieve during the next year with this group?
- Who are your stakeholders in this group and what actions do we plan with each?
A BEM might maintain relationships with twelve to fifteen stakeholders, perhaps spread across several business groups. A “stakeholder” here is simply someone who can significantly help a BEM as he or she works with a business group, typically because the key player can:
- Sponsor significant learning projects
- Influence those who can sponsor projects, or
- Provide unique insight into business needs
As a rough guideline, to keep the relationship alive, the BEM should find some useful way to spend time with each stakeholder at least once a quarter. What that turns out to mean in practice is that the BEM will usually find him- or herself having coffee or lunch or otherwise meeting with one or two stakeholders each week. “Stakeholders” serve different roles: Some have business needs and can sponsor projects. Others have insight into organizational performance. Yet others can coach the BEM on how to support the organization.
