Last month I had the opportunity to attend (and present) the first Business Relationship Management (BRM) conference in Portland sponsored by the Business Relationship Management Institute (BRMI). Many exciting discussions took place between the delegates and presenters. One of those conversations was around the language used by the BRM. The question was asked: “How should I be speaking to my business stakeholders so they will consider me an equal and not just a support resource?”
The BRM Body of Knowledge (BRMBoK) defines five business relationship maturity levels, however, only the two lower levels and the final level are relevant to this language discussion. Level 1 is classified as 'ad-hoc' and at this level there is little or no real relationship between the BRM and the stakeholder (in this example, the business is the stakeholder). BRMs at Level 2 are classified as 'order-takers' and at this level, the stakeholder will typically engage the BRM only when they need something. Otherwise they want the BRM to stay out of the way. Level 5 (the highest level) is classified at the 'strategic partner' and at this level, the BRM and the stakeholder share common goals for maximizing value, share risks, as well as rewards.
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