Using stakeholder mapping as a tool for a social licence to operate

Adel Malebana, Senior Social Consultant

 

With continuing job losses and deteriorating profitability in mines, the potential for conflict between mines and communities increases. Communities and stakeholders expect the mine to provide sheltered employment and benefits. Previous mine commitments are questioned, as is the legitimacy of stakeholders engaged in these commitments. 

 

Stakeholders within communities are changing and evolving; new stakeholders are developing, and old stakeholders want to retain their leadership. This happens especially where leadership is equated to receiving benefits from the operations, while resources remain limited. Continuous changes make it difficult for the mines to keep their fingers on the pulse and to engage proactively.

 

Against this background, stakeholder mapping is a useful tool for navigating the stakeholder maze. The aim is to minimise the element of surprise in stakeholder behaviour, enabling the mines to identify warning signs and assess patterns in stakeholder behaviour early, and to ensure that engagement is inclusive, consistent, informed with local intelligence, relevant and responsive. Stakeholder mapping should continue throughout the mine’s life cycle and post closure. 

 

This mapping process allows the community and the mine to understand their issues; in turn, this better informs the decisions around who to engage with and the strategies to apply – and helps to resolve issues quickly and more effectively. This process further makes room for a network analysis of stakeholders, in understanding the community power- and decision-making dynamics and associated vulnerabilities. 

 

A thorough mapping of stakeholders can create an environment for constructive engagement, resolving issues as they arise, and building long-term relationships. In SRK’s work with clients and stakeholders, we analyse the stakeholder issues and identify what current mechanisms are available for capturing and resolving them. This knowledge platform assists clients in developing their own standardised practises, templates, guidelines and documents.

 

Stakeholder mapping and thorough engagement allows a more proactive engagement with stakeholders, laying legacy issues to rest, and progressing from a complaints session to a mature and respectful communication between stakeholders. Achieving this outcome requires a frank, honest and open discussion about what stakeholders expect from the mine and from each other – and some agreement about how to define and manage those expectations. This also enables the mine to clarify key messages, to align across the whole company and to communicate clearly in every engagement forum. 

 

Adel Malebana: amalebana@srk.co.za