The continuing decline in Trust in institutions is bringing with it a fundamental shift in how organisations must approach stakeholder engagement.

CEOs and C-suite leaders are increasingly recognising that public relations is no longer just about reputation management—it is central to strategic decision-making.

The 2025 USC Annenberg Global Communications Report confirms this, noting that nearly 80% of communication leaders view their function as integral to business strategy, while 68% of respondents regard CEOs as credible voices in shaping public dialogue.

However, the traditional stakeholder quadrant model — classifying stakeholders into neat boxes of “high/low interest” and “high/low influence” — is ill-suited for today’s fast-changing digital environment.

Stakeholders are no longer static categories; they are dynamic networks whose influence rises and falls with algorithm-driven amplification. A single viral post, trending hashtag, or coordinated online campaign can shift the balance of power overnight — something the quadrant model cannot anticipate.

Recent scholarship (e.g., Coombs & Holladay, 2023; Zerfass et al., 2024) highlights how networked publics and algorithmic gatekeeping now dictate visibility, engagement, and ultimately legitimacy.

Street demonstrations, shareholder activism, renewable energy protests, or tax debates often begin as digitally networked conversations before becoming physical or policy-shaping events.

To remain relevant, organisations must evolve from static mapping to living stakeholder intelligence systems that incorporate:

• Real-time sentiment and discourse analysis across social media and news ecosystems.
• AI-driven stakeholder mapping that identifies not only traditional influencers, but also emerging micro-communities and digital opinion leaders.
• Algorithmic foresight tools that track how recommendation systems, trending mechanisms, and platform biases elevate or suppress particular voices.
• Integration of CSR and ESG considerations, ensuring that purpose-driven commitments are measured against stakeholder expectations, not just compliance checklists.

Some researchers and practitioners are now experimenting with metrics like the Growth Potential Score (GPS) to anticipate where alignment between organisational strategy and stakeholder priorities can unlock trust, collaboration, and long-term value.

To move with the dynamic changing stakeholder environment, ranging from political engagement to customer relationships, today’s leaders must adopt fluid, predictive, and ethically informed approaches to stakeholder analysis.

The approach must account for the algorithmic forces shaping influence and the public’s shifting expectations. In doing so, CEOs and the C-suite need to look at public relations not as periphery to strategic decision-making, but at the center. Email Robert Masters (robertm@robertmasters.com.au) for insights on the new stakeholder engagement processes and analytical approach.