Loyalties
John Smith is loyal to the LinkedIn management and to LinkedIn as an organization. Further, he could be loyal to the IT team in charge of developing the new interface. The development of the new interface probably took the LinkedIn team considerable time and effort. Therefore, McCarthy is unlikely to easily admit interface problems.
Cris Wildermuth's loyalties are divided between Olivier Taupin, the owner of the Linked:HR group and her team of moderators. As Head of Moderation for Linked:HR, Cris feels responsible for the success of the group and does not want to let Olivier Taupin down. On the other hand, she realizes that the moderators are volunteer professionals. She needs to ensure a smooth transition to her team.
The Moderators and Group Leaders are mostly loyal to Cris Wildermuth (and probably closer to Cris than to Olivier).
The Group Members are unlikely to be loyal to anyone in the management team. Dissatisfied members may simply leave the group.
Note to students: Your stakeholders are likely tied in a web of loyalties and constituents.
Who are these constituents? What do they want? What is the impact of such loyalties on your case?
Who are these constituents? What do they want? What is the impact of such loyalties on your case?