The Secret Stakeholder: Organisational Culture in Business Analysis | BA Brew

What is the ‘secret stakeholder’ in Business Analysis, and how can organisational culture influence your stakeholders, projects and change initiatives?

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley and Lisa Hudson are joined by Danny Kalkhoven to explore a stakeholder you won’t find on your power-interest grid: organisational culture.

Culture can influence how people behave, how information is shared, how decisions are made and how your work as a Business Analyst is perceived. But how do you identify and manage something that can be difficult to see or define?

Danny shares practical examples from his own experience, including a carefully planned workshop that failed because the culture of the organisation made open information sharing almost impossible.

They discuss:

✔ What the ‘secret stakeholder’ means for Business Analysts

✔ How organisational culture affects stakeholder management and engagement

✔ How to spot informal networks and hidden influence

✔ Why proven Business Analysis techniques can fail in different cultures

✔ What everyday behaviours can reveal about an organisation

✔ How to adapt your BA approach to different organisational cultures

✔ Why finding an organisational ‘tour guide’ can help you understand how things really work

The conversation builds on the ideas Danny presented at the European Business Analysis Conference 2026.

If you work in Business Analysis, stakeholder management or organisational change, watch the full episode to discover why understanding the culture around your stakeholders can be just as important as identifying the stakeholders themselves.

➡️ Explore more BA Brew episodes: https://www.assistkd.com/learning-zone/ba-brew-podcast

➡️ Explore Business Analysis training from AssistKD: https://www.assistkd.com/our-business-training-courses-classes

Subscribe to AssistKD for more BA Brew conversations covering Business Analysis, Business Architecture, Service Design, Digital Solutions and organisational change.