This paper examines the dialogue between Royal Dutch/Shell and two human rights organisations, Amnesty International and Pax Christi International, to explore the broader theoretical issue of the factors that drive corporate-stakeholder engagement and facilitate its success. The paper concludes that the enabling conditions for stakeholder engagement include the motivation of both the business firm and its stakeholder organisation to engage one another in dialogue. Both must also have a goal that can only be accomplished through the participation of the other party and must possess the internal organisational capacity to act. A successful stakeholder engagement process requires, moreover, that the parties possess a cultural affinity, recognise the other's legitimacy, dedicate time to building trust and are willing to accept incremental gains.