The #Blacklivesmatter Movement: Balancing Stakeholders at Techteen

4 Pages Posted: 23 Feb 2021 Last revised: 24 Nov 2021

See all articles by Meghan Murray

Meghan Murray

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business

Abstract

Alyssa Harris was the CEO of TechTeen, a Washington, DC, nonprofit. Like many organizations during summer 2020, TechTeen issued a statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. A valuable board member expressed concern, threatening to resign over the statement, which escalated discussions among staff and volunteers. The case considers how Harris should manage and respond to these issues. Harris must consider each of her stakeholders, how they might be affected, what to communicate, and how to communicate. This case enables discussion of values in addition to managing public opinion.The teaching note for this case guides the instructor to: (1) map the issues, stakeholders, and potential actions relevant to the case; and (2) critically assess the multiple aspects of the case that apply in business settings.

Excerpt

UVA-BC-0276

Feb. 11, 2021

The #BlackLivesMatter Movement: Balancing Stakeholders at TechTeen

The Situation

Alyssa Harris sighed as she read a text message at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday. A board leader had updated her: “30 min. conversation with Melanie—she's clearly been thinking about this for a while, not sure we'll change her mind.”

As the CEO of a Washington, DC, nonprofit, TechTeen, Harris spent about 50% of her time managing staff, 25% managing the advisory board, and 25% of her time in the community. Her relationship with the advisory board was a complicated one because the board members volunteered their time, provided Harris with valuable guidance, were significant financial contributors, and were responsible for hiring (and firing) the CEO. TechTeen was about to lose Melanie Hobson as a board member, which presented a thorny problem.

. . .

Keywords: diversity, equity, communication, nonprofit, not-for-profit, leadership, crisis communication, values, ethics, disagreement, public opinion, stakeholders, conscience, faith, resignation, Black Lives Matter, stakeholder management

Suggested Citation

Murray, Meghan, The #Blacklivesmatter Movement: Balancing Stakeholders at Techteen. Darden Case No. UVA-BC-0276, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3789429 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3789429

Meghan Murray (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

P.O. Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550
United States

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