community liaison officer team management toolkit · 15.30 managing difficult conversations...

Community liaison officerteam management toolkit

CLO training pack

Part (b): Training slides

Tool 6

1

Community Liaison Training Course1.5 day timetable

DAY ONE MODULE

09.00 Introduction to community liaison• Introduction• Icebreaker• Module 1

11.30Stakeholder engagement and consultation

• Module 2

14.00 Tools for engagement • Module 3

15.30 Managing difficult conversations• Module four introduction• Day one recap

2

DAY TWO MODULE

08.30 Managing difficult conversations• Introduction to day two and recap• Module 4 exercise

10.00 Meaningful reporting • Module 5

11.30 Standards and scrutiny• Module 6• Course recap

2

Introduction to community liaison

Module 1

Speaker notes for trainers

This is the first of six modules which form the core of the course

Every module will involve a small number of slides and an interactive component

3

Module objectives

4

In this module you will learn:

• That community liaison is a professional role, requiring high standards of personal integrity and the ability to deal with challenging situations.

• The ways in which the role is influenced by:− The project or asset you work for

− Your company

− The community

− Your own qualities and skills.

• The importance of mutual respect and teamwork, including the need for open and timely communication with colleagues and community members.

This is a relatively gentle introduction

It will allow us to discuss the role of the CLO and the influences on it

It introduces several concepts that we will explore in more detail later in the course

4

5

Understanding community liaisonHow would you describe your role?

• A window?

Allowing companies to see out into the community, and the community to see in?

• A bridge?

Facilitating two-way exchanges between companies and communities?

The most common analogy describing the CLO role is that of a bridge.

But in some cases a ‘window’ may be more appropriate.

How do you see your role?

How do the communities see your role?

5

The role is influenced by four principal drivers

6

These drivers are:

Society

• Local customs, norms and practices

• Legislative/regulatory environment

• National and local politics

• International economic and political trends

You

• Skills and experience

• Specialized knowledge and qualifications

• Personal qualities

• Relationships, internal and external

The project or asset

• Stage in life cycle

• Contractor track record

• Likely employment/de-manning

• Impact on land, wider environment and social fabric

• Financing

Your company

• Corporate strategy, culture, leadership and priorities

• Policies, brand/reputation, track-record

• Shareholder interests

While there is a set of tasks which forms the core of a CLO role, the role is in fact shaped by the objectives of the project or asset; the strategy and culture of their company; the nature of the communities with whom they interact; and the skills and qualities they bring themselves.

For example, a CLO working in a conflict-prone, remote region on a major pipeline construction project, has a very different role than, say, a CLO working for a long-established asset close to an urban environment in a mature legal and regulatory environment.

However, there are a core set of skills.

These are: providing community insights; community stakeholder mapping; sharing information; community engagement; community consultation; community grievance management; crisis response management; reporting and documentation; implementing standards and managing scrutiny.

6

Societal influences

7

A dynamic and complex environment

• You are the interface between company and community; your role is determined by both societal and corporate context.

• Understanding and valuing both is vital to building understanding between company and community.

• Communities are shaped by diverse –sometimes competing – historical, cultural and socio-economic factors.

• A project can bring concerns and changes that people experience in different ways.

• International influences play into all of this.

The influences on the role of the CLO are complex.

The environment in which you work is not static and the project, corporate and societal context will change – sometimes rapidly.

Sometimes this will be deeply rewarding – but it may also be uncomfortable. Your relationships with each other, and your colleagues in the rest of the project will be key in your ability to manage these challenges.

7

International influences shape standards

8

Which increasingly address needs of local stakeholders

However …

“40 per cent of your community engagement can be shaped by generic guidelines and standards, but 60 per cent of it needs to be tailored to the local context.”

Industry respondent

(International Institute for Environment and Development, 2016)

There is a lot of guidance, e.g.:• Corporate responsibility

− OECD Guidelines

• International finance− World Bank/IFC guidance

• Certification− ISO 14001− Global Reporting Initiative− Indigenous rights− ILO 169, 1989; UNDRIP− Human rights− VPSHR− UN Guiding Principles

The range of guidance, best practice and standards can be intimidating, and you are not expected to know all of them although you are expected to be familiar with them and know which areas of community-related activity they report to.

They can also be useful tools to help you navigate difficult issues or to understand what various stakeholders expect from you.

We will spend more time on standards in Module 6.

Acronyms: OECD = Organisation for Cooperation and DevelopmentIFC = International Finance CorporationISO = International Organization for StandardizationUNDRIP = United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesVPSHR = Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights

8

What is ‘the community’?

9

Who or what defines a community?

• Definitions of ‘the community’ – may be geographical, maybe not –can be as broad as ANY impacted individuals.

• There may be distinct groups within a ‘community’.

• There may be competing interests between communities or within communities.

• ‘Communities’ are often defined by their leaders – but how much do they represent the interests of all?

• ‘Outsiders’ may have an influence on and interest in the community.

‘Community’ can be defined in many ways. Often its geographical but it may include ANY impacted individual (often self-defined) – and in an increasingly online world it may also be ‘virtual’.

A community is made up of individuals and smaller social groups. Sometimes they will compete. In some communities there may be particularly groups which are especially vulnerable or sensitive to project impacts, but who may lack an obvious ‘voice’.

Leaders often define their communities, but they may not be speaking for everyone in the community. Just because you talk to the ‘leaders’ it does not mean you are reaching all members.

Communities do not exist in isolation.

AN EXERCISE FOLLOWS THIS SLIDE

9

EXERCISE: PART ONE

10

In groups, draw a ‘map’ or diagram of the community/communities for which you are responsible.

Think about:

• How people identify themselves: professions, age, gender, language, geography, culture.

• The relationships between groups.

• Sources of leadership.

• International stakeholders.

Include vulnerable groups and people inside the company that may interact with the community.

10

11

Your contribution to the roleSkills are important, and so are personal qualities

Top skills identified in a global online survey of CLOs as key to the role:

• Respect of the community

• Honesty

• Negotiation skills

• Knowledge of local culture

• Verbal communication skills

A global survey of 122 CLOs, undertaken for IPIECA by AudireConsultants and ECW Energy

78%

72%

70%

70%

58%

52%

49%

45%

43%

42%

36%

33%

18%

17%

11%

5%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Respect of the community

Knowledge of the local culture

Honesty

Negotiation skills

Verbal communication skills

Patience

Analytical skills

Empathy

Knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations

Knowledge of the company's systems and processes

Knowledge of the industry

Local language skills

Written communication skills

A sense of humour

English language skills

Other

Percentage of respondents

We have looked at some of the project, corporate and societal influences on your role.

Now we want to look at what you bring.

In a survey, CLOs were asked about the qualities they thought were most important in a CLO and these are the results. When managers were asked the same question, there was broad agreement but managers tended to emphasize reporting skills rather more than CLOs did.

11

Your relationship with the community

Representative sample of responses from online survey of 122 CLOs undertaken for IPIECA in 2017

12

Do you consider yourself a member of the community beyond your role as a CLO?

Somehow yes … poverty and inequality are seen by all

I feel part of my company

Yes. I’m a resident

I am an interlocutor

No. As native communities

they are conservative and

closed

Every day, you create links for

co-existence

I’m a bridge between the company and

the community

People view us as outsiders

No! But I have a

feeling for them

These speech bubbles are a representative sample of responses to the same online survey referenced on the previous slide. We asked 120 CLOs: ‘Do you consider yourself a member of the community beyond your role as a CLO?’

There were some distinct differences in how CLOs responded.

There are no right or wrong answers. CLOs have to be knowledgeable about the communities and have to be able to talk to community members in their own language.

Being an outsider, an insider or an ‘empathizer’ has advantages and disadvantages. It is important that these strengths and weaknesses are understood.


12

EXERCISE: PART TWO

13

Using the maps or diagrams developed earlier, place yourself on the map/diagram in relation to the community using the stickers/magnets provided.

Are you an insider/outsider/empathizer. Bridge? Window?

Are you comfortable in that place – or would you rather be somewhere else?

Look at the maps/diagrams of other groups and discuss what you discovered during the exercise.

13

Stakeholder engagement and consultation

Module 2

14

Module objectives

15


• Stakeholder engagement and consultation is the key responsibility of community liaison teams.

• Sharing insights and using tools such as stakeholder ‘mapping’ helps you to understand a community’s needs, concerns and interests.

• There is a difference between information sharing, engagement and consultation. Consultation offers the community a real stake in outcomes, but can only happen if they have the right information at the right time.

• Community leaders (informal and formal) have an important role to play, but those who are not in powerful positions are also important.

Interaction with the community is at the heart of the CLO’s role. This means using a variety of techniques – information-sharing, engagement, consultation, negotiation.

It also means understanding who the stakeholders are, and what their needs and concerns might be.

Stakeholders encompass all those affected by, or who have the potential to affect, a project or organization. It is not just about leaders, but ensuring all community members are able to raise issues and influence outcomes.

It means agreeing priorities with the team and there are tools available to help present complex information on stakeholders. Graphically plotting the relationships between groups and individuals in a given community is one of the most common ways – often called ‘mapping.

15

Why is engagement and consultation important?

16

Mutual understanding helps companies AND communities

• Understanding perspectives of stakeholders allows needs/concerns to be addressed early and positively.

• Negative impacts can be more easily minimized and opportunities maximized.

• Future approaches can be designed to suit stakeholder preferences.

• Stakeholder engagement and consultation is the only way to forge lasting relationships built on trust and respect.

• It offers an opportunity to understand and manage a range of project risks.

The intensity of engagement and consultation with communities may change, but these are long-term relationships which are important to the project/asset.

Understanding stakeholders and using that knowledge wisely is the foundation on which long-term relationships are built.

IPIECA and the IFC are good sources for comprehensive advice and guidance on stakeholder engagement.

It is possible that this represents a new way of thinking about familiar environments, which may be difficult for you at times.

16

What is a ‘stakeholder’?

17

And who are you likely to be interacting with most?

A stakeholder is:

Any person, group or organization directly or indirectly affected by a project/company.

Any person, group or organization who can affect a project/organization.

Anyone who has an interest in the project and who can interest it positively/negatively.

What about future generations? The environment?

Which stakeholders do CLOs most often interact with?

The definition of a stakeholder is broad, but there are some categories of stakeholders with which CLOs ‘typically’ interact: elected officials, people nominated by the community; landowners; other CLOs, for example CLOs employed by contractors; police officers and members of the security forces.

There may be complex interrelationships between these stakeholder groups.

Is anything missing in this definition?

Are future generations stakeholders? What about the concerns of ‘the environment’? What about journalists? Is the definition too broad or not broad enough?

17

Types of stakeholder interactions

18

ALWAYS carried out in good faith

• Information sharing: one-way; presentations; leaflets; radio programmes; online disclosure; essential prior to engagement and consultation.

• Engagement: two-way; formal/informal; meeting people; talking and listening; building relationships/trust.

• Consultation: two-way; formal; sharing views on specific issues; opportunities for stakeholders to express views on specific issues and decisions and influence outcomes; responsive; challenging.

• Negotiation: two-way; formal; conducted with representatives selected and approved by stakeholders; concludes in agreement(s); often has legal weight; may involve mitigation commitments, compensation and/or benefit-sharing agreements.

Inclusive and transparent processes are as important as outcomes

Think about the relationships you have which are built on trust. What characterizes them?

No different for communities. Information-sharing is important, but on its own cannot create a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust.

You will find yourself using different forms of all four concepts at different times. Creating a shared vocabulary with colleagues can help build supportive teams.

In your interactions with communities HOW you do it is as important as WHAT you do. Handing out leaflets on proposed construction sites is not the same as discussing it face to face and listening to community concerns. Consultation and negotiation can offer communities real stakes in decisions, and demonstrates your respect and trust.

18

What does good engagement look like?

19

There is plenty of advice and good practice guidance

According to the IFC, good stakeholder engagement:

• Begins early

• Does not wait until there is a problem

• Takes the long-term view

• Is tailored to fit your project.

It is also important that:

• It is tailored to fit the company and the communities themselves.

19

There has been a lot of work on stakeholder engagement and consultation in recent years. Authoritative guides include those published by the IFC and OECD.

However, generic guidelines need to be interpreted and adapted for local circumstances. The CLO is key to this adaptation.

20

Free, prior and informed consent

20

An overarching approach to standards, processes and challenges

• Which standards require FPIC? ILO 169; UNDRIP; international financial institutions such as IFC; some national legislation.

• What is FPIC? Good faith negotiation; consent freely given (or withheld) prior to development; full information shared about scope and impacts; decision to give or withhold consent is respected and upheld. Goes beyond ‘good engagement’ – ALL rights are recognized and substantively addressed.

• What does FPIC look like in practice? Processes and participants are mutually agreed in advance; should be compatible with community decision-making and cultural traditions; formal agreement signed and revisited/maintained over time

• Key challenges: Government vs company responsibilities. Who gives consent and how representative are they? Does consent mean veto? How is decision (including a ‘no’) respected over time? How do you know you have consent?

Free, prior and informed consent is a new way of thinking about community interaction.

It is comprehensive and has been adopted by some – but not all – oil and gas companies.

20

Challenges of engagement and consultation

21

Sounds simple, but …

• Who decides who is a stakeholder? What about ‘stakeholders’ who self-identify? Are some stakeholders more important than others? If so, how do you decide?

• How do you, your managers and your colleagues understand and prioritize stakeholders? Would stakeholders agree with your priorities?

• Good community engagement and consultation may not be noticed.

• It takes time to build trust – and even longer to rebuild broken trust.

21

Identifying stakeholders and devising the most appropriate interactions can be a subjective exercise. The project, company and communities themselves will exert an influence on who represents priority stakeholders, the most appropriate ways in which to share information, engage, consult and negotiate with them.

The CLO will also have an influence on this depending on their own skills, experience, knowledge and behaviour.

Sharing priorities and agreeing strategies as a team can provide a supportive environment and harness collective, and not just individual skills.

What are your views on the questions posed in this slide?

Leaders, representatives, elected officials

22

Who talks on behalf of others?

• Leadership may be informal or formal.

• It is specific to the community and may change over time –sometimes quickly.

• Examples are elected officials, religious leaders, customary leaders, people nominated by the community.

• Be aware and manage your relationships with due regard to ethical considerations, company policies and legal requirements.

Participants will frequently find themselves talking to people who represent – or claim to represent the interests of others. Often these people have some kind of leadership role.

In times of change – including changes brought about by major construction projects –leaders can emerge and disappear quickly. Examples are elections, conflicts, ‘new’ forms of leadership (e.g. online groups).

Projects and assets are long-term investments. It is important to balance short-term respect for legitimate leaders and representatives with the need to build broad relationships which will endure over decades

Who exercises leadership in your lives? How has it changed in the past five years? How will it change in the next five?

22

Vulnerable and marginalized groups

23

How do you ensure that you are considering all stakeholders?

• How do you ensure that you are addressing and responding to the needs of all stakeholders - not only the powerful?

• These stakeholders may be illiterate or have a physical disability. Meeting formats may be inaccessible and/or inappropriate.

• Their needs should be considered early and introducing different formats of engagement and consultation feedback appropriate to their needs is important.

• Solutions can be developed with these stakeholders.

23

It is important that everyone affected by a project has the opportunity to raise concerns and realie benefits – not just the powerful.

There may be corporate, lender, legal or other commitments which makes such engagement necessary.

Understanding who these groups are is a precursor to engaging with them, and helps devise strategies for engaging with them and understanding their concerns and issues.

An example of vulnerable stakeholders

• Women may experience specific impacts from a project.

• May be excluded from benefits and/or disproportionately experience negative impacts.

• Some may be more vulnerable, e.g. single heads of households or women with disabilities.

• Important to provide opportunity to engage women separately.

• Times and location of meetings may need to be flexible to take into account work and home commitments.

• The format and language of meetings is also important to ensure that engagement is appropriate and inclusive.

• Approaches could be developed with women’s leaders and women themselves.

Women are just one potentially vulnerable group

Women are just one potentially vulnerable group.

Others might be illiterate stakeholders, ethnic or religious minorities, itinerant communities.

This slide demonstrates how understanding the nature and needs of vulnerable groups contributes to successful strategies for engaging and consulting with them.

There may be opportunities for working with these groups, and particularly with their leaders, to develop successful engagement strategies.

Consideration should also be given to the way in which this might impact social dynamics within the community, and strategies developed to manage any risks.

24

Making sense of this complexity

25

Many tools are available to help navigate and prioritize

• Companies have to make decisions about which stakeholders to engage, how and when.

• Stakeholder analysis helps to prioritize stakeholders and understand relationships between them.

• Analysing stakeholders helps make decisions about what interactions are most appropriate – and to create shared understanding across teams.

• There are a number of different mapping tools to support analysis.

Expressing the complexities we have discussed earlier can be difficult.

There are a number of different templates available to do this.

This can be a powerful way of explaining complexity to people who are not familiar with your communities – especially project management.


25

EXERCISE: PART ONE

26

In small groups, think about your community/communities and rank stakeholders in terms of relevance to the project.

Think about:

• Why they are important

• What their key issues of concern are

• Which stakeholders do they influence

• Which stakeholders influence them.

Discuss the findings.

26

EXERCISE: PART TWO

27

Using the list identified in Part One and the template provided, plot the stakeholders according to the power they have and their influence on, or interest in, the project.

In your groups discuss:

Which are the most important stakeholders?

With which stakeholders should you engage most frequently?

Which stakeholders could help you influence others?

Are power and influence/interest the only things that matter?

27

Tools for engagement

Module 3

We have considered the role of the community liaison officer, some of the characteristics of communities and stakeholders, and some of the principles of engagement.

This explores what tools you might use to build those relationships.

28

Module objectives

29


• Communities themselves have a role to play in determining how you communicate with them – and how they communicate with you.

• Planning is key. Identifying the objective and understanding the stakeholders’ needs are the two critical first steps. The message and the medium are secondary.

• Nothing replaces meaningful, appropriate and respectful face-to-face communication.

This is not just about you: communities themselves have a part to play in determining how you communicate with them!

We will focus on face-to-face communication first, then explore other tools available to you, and your role in creating and shaping them.

29

Examples of engagement tools

30

Options are varied, and have strengths and weaknesses

• Face-to-face meetings

• Tailored information-sharing tools: leaflets, newsletters, posters, advertisements

• Online platforms: social media, radio broadcasts, TV programmes, websites

• Formal documents: ESIAs, baseline studies, legal agreements

• Grievance mechanisms

• Social investment programmes, participative community development plans, philanthropic projects, sponsorship

• Stakeholder monitoring and reporting projects

Given the needs of your community, which of these tools do you think would be most valuable?

30

Tool Strengths Weakness

Face to face Simple, two-way, flexible (formal/informal, group/individual)

May not suit less confident participants, open to interpretation

Tailored tools Unambiguous, inclusive Not two-way. Unresponsive

Online platforms Reaches beyond traditional elites. Quick.

May not suit all stakeholders. Time-consuming to maintain.

Formal documents Comprehensive, authoritative Not two-way. Requires specialist interpretation

Grievance mechanisms Methodical, practical. Potential early-warning of issues

Difficult to design well for all stakeholders

Social investments and other community programmes

Demonstration of good intent and offer of real benefit

Difficult to design well. Ethical issues may be a problem.

Stakeholder monitoring and reporting

Demonstrates trust and openness. Offers real insights of issues, with solutions

Difficult to design well. Capacity may be limited. Resource-intensive. May require specialist support

The importance of planning

31

Six key steps for creating effective engagement tools

• Decide your objective: Provide information? Fulfil a regulatory requirement? To agree a complex issue?

• Identify your audience: Who are you trying to reach? What are their needs? What are the best ways of reaching them?

• Evaluate third-party tools: Which are trusted? How do they complement your activities?

• Identify specialist resources and skills: Lawyers, accountants, designers, IT specialists, illustrators, photographers, etc.

• Develop key messages and effective ways of story-telling: What do your audiences already know. What will their reaction be?

• Decide the most appropriate tool(s) for your purpose: Think about timelines and the sequence of activities.

Planning effective engagement tools is key. A plan which is little more than ‘telling everyone everything all of the time’ is expensive to put in place, largely ineffective and may result in a lot of ‘noise’ with little benefit to the community or the company.

CLOs have interactions with a wide variety of people in the community, who will have different communication needs.

An engagement strategy is usually underpinned by more than one tool. For example, you may need to use posters to advertise a town-hall style meeting, with handouts during the meeting in several formats addressing the needs of all stakeholders.

31

Face-to-face meetings: the key tool

32

It is not just about substance – style matters too

• Meeting format and ‘choreography’ make an important contribution to its success.

• You bring local understanding to bear on meeting design, organization, location, participation, structure and timing.

• Meetings take many forms:

− Informal/formal

− Group/individual

− Planned/spontaneous

− Company/community led.

Nothing replaces face-to-face meetings, despite the advances in technology.

Community members and other stakeholders will have an important role to play in influencing meeting design, location, structure and participation. It is important to take their preferences into account.

Style matters as much as substance. The most obvious way of explaining this is to consider the difference between participants sitting around a round table, versus a square one.

Also think about other engagement tools which support a meeting – the availability of documents, how the meeting will be recorded and so on.


32

EXERCISE: PART ONE

33

In small groups, choose one of the scenarios.

Plan a face-to-face meeting as part of your strategy to manage the issues suggested by the scenario.

• What sort of preparatory work might be necessary?

• Who should attend? Who might attend?

• Where would you hold it?

• What would the room layout be?

• Who would attend from the company?

• How would you record it?

Sketch our the room layout and explore different kinds of layouts to see how these might affect the dynamic of the meeting.

33

34

Engagement tools for community participationOpportunity to offer tangible involvement

Social investment programmes

Can build relationships, share benefits, enhance capacity, demonstrate good intent.

Can also be a source of tension, confusion and lead to ethical issues.

Community monitoring and scrutiny programmes

Can demonstrate trust, enhance capacity, improve corporate performance.

Can be challenging for companies and staff and require significant resources.

Community investment programmes are distinct from compensatory payments, employment opportunities or philanthropy and sponsorship. They involve the community and are sustainable in their outcomes.

The community liaison officer may have a direct role in designing programmes, or a formal role in monitoring and auditing them. At the very least, CLOs will play a role in ensuring that the programmes are properly run and delivering the agreed objectives.

Communities may also be involved in programmes to monitor and scrutinize corporate and project performance – and indeed social investment projects. This may include representation on third-party panels and boards, or it may be via formal community monitoring programmes.

In both cases, programmes need to be carefully designed and the risks and opportunities properly managed.

34

The principles of good social investment

35

There is plenty of advice and best practice guidance

Components of a good programme:

• A three–five year plan

• Clear objectives linked to the business case

• An iterative process involving communities

• Integrated with a comprehensive stakeholder engagement programme

• Clear exit and handover strategies

• Transparent communication of results.

35

Sustainable community investments, derived to meet local needs in a participatory process, communicated and monitored well can enhance relationships with the community over long time frames.

Much work has been done to identify the components of a good community investment programme.

CLOs should be aware that community investment programmes can be the subject of much frustration and criticism: broken promises, poor governance, unmet expectations, ‘stranded’ investments.

They can also lead to allegations (and prosecutions) on ethical grounds.

There is help and guidance available.

Engaging stakeholders who don’t read

36

Same principles apply as with other stakeholders

• Important that illiterate stakeholders are able to influence materials and approaches.

• Examples for information-sharing and engagement include:

− Drama skits

− Radio

− Cartoons, film and photography.

• Collecting and recording feedback:

− Voice recording

− Mobile phone-based apps – photos, GPS, voice apps

− Filmed participatory theatre and film.

36

While the six steps are applicable for all stakeholders, vulnerable groups may require particular thought.

Reaching illiterate stakeholders and ensuring they are able to share benefits, influence outcomes and raise concerns can be challenging.

Methods are available. Theatre-based techniques, and cartoons have been particularly successful.

The need to collect feedback in an appropriate way should not be forgotten.

Engaging with women to unblock an impasse

37

An example of bringing it all together

The challenge

A project faced delays as a result of problems with communities. Male-dominated culture. Women subservient in households, but recognized as a ‘hidden power’ who had an important role to play in long-term development

The solution• A stakeholder mapping exercise identified all women in the

community, and noted those that appeared influential.• Women engaged via different tools, projects AND different parts of

company. Women were engaged in groups, not individuals.• Focus was on families, not ‘women’.

The outcomeAll community members shared a common view on future development, supported by the company. Transformed relationship with whole community.

This is an example of a mining project in Guatemala. It is a very high level summary.

This brings together the principal points of both Modules 2 and 3.

It is an example of how the objective of the engagement exercise was clearly identified; how the stakeholders were identified via a mapping exercise; and how their needs were understood.

Meetings were designed with their needs in mind and with the community dynamics addressed. Although these women were classed as ‘marginalized’, the engagement exercise did not overtly challenge the community’s structure or hierarchy.

The engagement exercise recognised the need to engage all departments in the endeavour. The CLOs played a key role, but it was a team effort.


37

EXERCISE: PART TWO

38

In small groups, return to your scenario and consider:

• What tools would support engagement on the issues that it suggests?

• Do any of the stakeholders involved have specific communication needs?

• Sketch a timeline for the meeting itself and the related communication tools.

• What – if any – follow-up do you envisage?

• What would success look like? For you? For the community?

38

Managing difficult conversations

Module 4

This module builds on the three previous modules to explore some of the most difficult situations that a CLO might face

39

Module objectives

40


• Planning how to deal with difficult conversations/grievances, seeking help and specialist advice, having appropriate, workable processes, keeping good records and asking for, and offering, support from colleagues can help manage one of the most challenging aspects of the job.

• A difficult conversation or grievance managed well can be a rewarding experience for the stakeholder – and you.

• Difficult conversations and grievances are not signs of weakness – they may equally be signs of open and honest relationships.

• Tracking grievances/complaints can help to identify emerging problems.

Communities are often critical of projects. In some cases, your activities will have a profound life-changing impact on them, which is an inevitable source of concern.

You may find this criticism challenging. This module allows you to confront some of these challenges and explore your responses to them.

This module comprises two parts:• The first looks at how to deal with a difficult conversation.• The second looks at the role of a grievance mechanism in managing complaints from

the community.

40

Difficult conversations and complaints

41

These are an inevitable part of any project

Common causes of complaints/grievances:− Dust, noise and damage to property

− (Lack of) access to opportunities

− Land and compensation issues

− Labour force behaviour

− Ethical concerns.

Ways in which they escalate:− Failure of the company to respond (in time)

− Failure to keep promises

− Manipulation by others

− Track record of rewarding disruptive behaviour

− Behaviour of staff handling grievance.

RESPECT

RESPOND

RECORD

What are common causes of complaint on your project?

Grievances and complaints are an inevitable part of any project, and will continue once the project is operational. Many of the complaints are outside the control of the CLO, but there is usually an opportunity for you to minimize any escalation and to influence how complaints are handled.

41

Managing difficult conversations

42

Three building blocks for CLOs

After the meetingDuring the meetingBefore the meeting

Be aware of circumstances changing since you agreed to meet

Adopt a mindset of inquiry and be consistent

Anticipate/manage emotions – don’t fear silence

Preserve the relationship

Know how to begin/end

Consider issue from the other side

Mutually agree objective and extent of your role

Choose the right venue, format and time

Agree process and roles of home team

Consider warm up meetings

Make a record while still fresh and share with attendees if appropriate

Note promises and commitments, including response times

Note actions, share lessons, help others

Respond as promised – or be transparent if you can’t

It is helpful to spend time planning, discussing and rehearsing a conversation which you expect to be difficult.

This means thinking about what happens before a meeting takes place; having a strategy to deal with the meeting itself; and ensuring that agreed actions are recorded and followed up.

Colleagues can be useful sounding boards for concerns you might have, or strategies you might be considering.

It is important that you apply the lessons you learned from the previous module in managing difficult situations. For example:

Who will participate?Where will it be held?What will the room layout be?What communication tools will you need?What do the other participants need?

THERE IS AN EXERCISE AFTER THIS SLIDE

42

EXERCISE

43

In small groups, choose one of the role-playing scenarios.

Decide who will play each role, and who will act as an observer.

Remember the lessons from previous modules and take time to prepare and plan.

Role play the conversation for as along as it takes to reach a conclusion that the observer is happy with.

The role-playing can be done in front of all participants or just as groups.

43

Components of an effective grievance mechanism

44

An invaluable tool for managing complaints

An effective grievance mechanism is:

• Clear, transparent, predictable, consistent, accessible and user-friendly

• Made public

• Has a clear time frame of response

• Respects the person making the complaint and ensures their safety

• Has further avenues for recourse and does not exclude alternative options, including legal ones.

The previous slides look at ways in which grievances can escalate.

A grievance mechanism is an important tool in managing resolution. It also enables you to look for trends – is there an issue in a particular location? With a particular location? Has there been a sudden spike in grievances?

44

How do you know its working?

45

An effective grievance mechanism offers many benefits

Signs that the mechanism is working:

• There are grievances! No grievances is not a an indication of success.

• Range of stakeholders aware of mechanism – and agree it meets needs.

• All members of the community use it, including vulnerable groups.

• At the start, there is an increase in grievances, followed by a decrease.

• Fewer grievances need to be escalated.

• You use the data to reveal emerging problems.

45

A successful grievance mechanism is one that is used by stakeholders and by the team.

What is the role of the CLO in the mechanism?

46

You are vital

A Community Liaison Officer:

Ensures that stakeholders are aware of the GM, the processes involved and how grievances are resolved.

Receives, acknowledges and registers grievances using the system.

Supports complainants in using the mechanism.

May investigate grievances and provide information for assessment.

Plays a role in resolving grievances informally and via the mechanism.

May find the role uncomfortable, challenging – but rewarding.

46

Identifying stakeholders and devising the most appropriate interactions can be a subjective exercise. The project, company and communities themselves will exert an influence on who represents priority stakeholders, the most appropriate ways in which to share information, engage, consult and negotiate with them.

The CLO will also have an influence on this depending on their own skills, experience, knowledge and behaviour.

Sharing priorities and agreeing strategies as a team can provide a supportive environment and harness collective, and not just individual skills.

Do you agree with these statements?

Meaningful reporting

Module 5

Previous modules explore core elements of the CLO role – reporting and documentation is no less key.

Sharing information about the community internally in the right way in the right time can enhance the way in which a CLO is perceived.

47

Module objectives

48


• Documenting meetings accurately, recording decisions and agreeing outcomes with community members is vital to effective management of community issues.

• Data protection legislation and human rights requirements affect the way in which personal information is stored and shared.

• Companies and projects have requirements for information to be shared internally to fulfil legal requirements, meet public commitments, manage broad trends and identify emerging issues and risks.

• There are opportunities and risks associated with sharing information transparently with stakeholders.

During this module we will look at how the community-facing team reports and documents community-related information both internally AND externally.

When one senior manager of a community-facing team was asked for their single most important piece of advice it was to ‘get the back office right’ (i.e. ensuring that the quality of documentation and how it is stored is accurate, timely, legal and useful).

We will look at some of the restrictions on how you might collect, store and share information.

We will also listen to your views on the reporting requirements of the project and how this task might be improved.

48

Why meaningful documentation matters (I)

49

Well-designed reporting processes help community engagement

• Accurate records of meetings, conversations and decisions remove ambiguity and avoid future disputes.

• Community members should agree on how information is captured and disseminated, and the content of minutes of meetings in which they are involved.

• Care should be taken to ensure the tools used to capture this information meets the needs of all those impacted – including illiterate stakeholders.

• The Grievance Mechanism is one – but not the only – example.

Communities themselves will have a view of how they wish their interactions with the company and/or project to be documented. They may have concerns about their own security, safety or reputation.

Agreeing a formal record of meetings can be useful in agreeing the actions and outcomes of meetings. Surveying and collecting formal feedback can be a useful way of measuring collective trends and opinions.

It is important for stakeholders that their feedback and interactions are accurately recorded, in order for their needs to be met appropriately.

49

Why meaningful documentation matters (II)

50

Well-designed reporting processes help companies and projects

• Companies and projects are underpinned by information systems and processes – insights and input from CLOs are important.

• This helps them to manage performance, risks and change efficiently – and legally. This helps CLOs too.

• It is important to understand the needs of internal decision-makers.

• Templates and processes help community-facing teams use the same language and present information in a way that is most useful to colleagues.

• There are plenty of templates available online for minute-taking.

It is not just about quantity - it is about quality and making information available in a way that is easily usable by colleagues.

Companies and teams have their own cultures when it comes to information-sharing. It’s important to share information in a way that is most helpful to internal decision- makers. This could include short reports, regular Powerpoint presentations, or performance ’dashboards’, or it might be short 1 or 2 line ad hoc emails.

As with external stakeholders, understanding the needs of internal stakeholders is also important.

50

Collecting, storing and sharing information

51

There will be cultural, legal and human rights considerations

• Communities will have views about how information is collected, stored and shared.

• This may include limitations on taking photographs at meetings, recording the names of attendees or speakers, and restricting the sharing of information with officials.

• There may be legal requirements requiring information to be shared – for example if there is criminal activity.

• Legal and human rights considerations govern information collection, storage and sharing.

51

While capturing meeting outcomes, and accurately documenting community interactions is important, it is not without risks.

For example, individuals may attract the attention of officials if they criticize a project which is strategically important to a host government. There may be cultural or social reasons why someone may not wish to have their photograph taken or why they may be uncomfortable at meetings being filmed.

Data protection acts increasingly restrict the way in which personal information may be held or disseminated.

Reporting community performance

52

How to report to the community about the community

• Focused on Sustainability Reporting – but other tools are available.

• Guiding principle of sustainability reports is that they should respond to stakeholder needs.

• They can be useful tools for information sharing and engagement activities … but how far do they do that?

• Other tools may offer more immediate feedback on community-related issues

52

This module is about capturing and reporting on the community about the community –this can also be an effective tool for engagement as we explored in Module 3.

Reporting back to the community on project-related community issues and actions serves a number of purposes:

- Builds trust- Creates a ‘peg’ for engagement- Becomes a matter of formal record

As with other tools, the objective and audience needs should be understood first.

Globally, the focus has been on sustainability reporting, but other tools are available.

These might include:- Press releases and updates- Newsletters- News alerts

The ESIA is a tool for reporting performance – but its size can often inhibit this.

Trust and transparency

53

One does not automatically lead to the other

“Complete openness [is] not the best ways to build or restore trust. We place and refuse trust not because we have torrents of information (more is not always better), but because we can trace specific bits of information and specific undertakings to particular sources on whose veracity and reliability we can run some checks.”

Baroness Onora O’Neill, BBC Reith Lectures, 2002

• In Modules 1, 2, 3 and 4 you have explored the purpose and characteristics of relationships build on mutual respect and trust.

• Open and honest communication about community impacts and issues is important. But ‘more’ does not always mean ‘better’.

• Sharing information about community interactions publicly should always be done with the agreement of the community.

53

A typical ESIA runs into 800 pages or more. It is a good example of where transparency is important, but that volume of information may not be helpful for stakeholders.

Documents and reports are important but will not enhance trust unless stakeholders have the opportunity to interrogate information with people whom they respect.

One cardinal rule is that sharing information about community performance should always be consensual.


EXERCISE

54

In small groups identify:

What information they need to do their jobs effectively.

What information do CLOs need to give other people to allow them to do their jobs effectively?

How should this information be collected? And how should it be stored and made available?

What are the barriers to the above?

Review/design a reporting framework for your team.

Finally, discuss what information about the community should be shared with the community.

54

Standards and scrutiny

Module 6

We have touched upon standards and policies at a number of points in previous modules.

This module provides an opportunity to focus on how they might impact and support your roles, and how various internal and external stakeholders ensure that they are applied.

55

Module objectives

56


• A CLO’s role will be governed by national, and possibly international, laws and regulation.

• Companies and projects also have their own policies and standards.

• International organizations have also created a raft of standards, guidance and good practice.

• Knowing where to find information in these documents can help navigate unfamiliar, complex and difficult situations and issues.

• Activities which impact communities are subject to scrutiny – both formal and informal.

Whether CLOs are aware of it or not, their roles are governed by a range of standards which relate to corporate, project and societal needs and expectations.

Sometimes these can be in conflict – for example, standards and laws relating to trade unions. It is important to understand the standards that are relevant to the role of the CLO.

56

Global standards support community liaison

57

And may be required by companies, governments and/or lenders

Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject or we know where we can find useful information upon it

Samuel Johnson, 1775, carved on wall of the British Library

There are many global standards which might be relevant to the CLO. For example:

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

• International Covenant on Social and Cultural Rights

• ILO Core Conventions

• UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

• Convention on the Rights of the Child

• ILO Convention 169 on the Rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

• UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

CLOs are not required to know them in detail – but you should understand which apply, how they have been accommodated into project processes and policies and where to go to find further information.

57

Questions determining which standards apply

58

Even if not explicitly required, standards can be helpful

National and international standards

Who are the lenders?

What international conventions and initiatives has the country signed up to?

What national and regional legislation applies?

Project and company standards

What companies are involved – and what legislation governs them?

What standards are referenced in legal and contractual agreements?

What voluntary commitments has the project or company made?

What commitments have been made publicly?

How do you know what standards might apply?

Different stakeholders in the project may require adherence to particular standards. This slide includes some of the questions relevant to establishing which standards apply to the CLO’s project.

58

Standards are translated into project documents

59

Plans, agreements and programmes adapt and incorporate

Tools are where standards meet project and asset reality:

− Environmental and social impact assessments

− Human rights impact assessment

− Stakeholder engagement plan

− Grievance mechanism

− Resettlement action plan

− Benefit-sharing agreements

− Community development plan

The ways in which standards and commitments are translated into project plans and activities is varied, and in some instances creative and innovative approaches are developed by companies, often with formal community involvement and participation.

59

How is compliance monitored?

60

How to enforce standards and acknowledge local circumstance

• Host governments, lenders, parent companies, other investors, communities, NGOs, and independent expert panels may all have monitoring rights and interests.

• Building trust between local team (including CLOs) and auditors and scrutineers is invaluable for both ‘sides’.

• Auditors and scrutineers and local team should take time to understand each others’ concerns.

• Auditors and scrutineers may have a mentoring role and can be advocates for community-facing team.

• Communities may be involved in scrutiny bodies or may provide feedback to them.

Audits and informal forms of scrutiny can be challenging and involve a lot of work.

However, if time is taken for both scrutineers/monitors and the home team to understand each other’s needs and concerns, the experience can be a positive one for all concerned.

60

Who scrutinizes performance?

61

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline: an example of scrutiny in practice

Lenders: IFC and EBRD

Lenders: Commercial banks

Host governments x 3

Project: BP operated

Partners: 11 companies

Lenders: Credit agencies

Expert Advisory Panel (CDAP)

Local NGO monitoring project (OS)

Each had their own methodology stakeholders, remit, timetable and response requirements

This is one example of the range of monitoring groups which may scrutinize a project.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline had one of the most complex monitoring frameworks of any infrastructure project anywhere in the world.

This was the result of its commercial arrangements, the interests of the three host countries and the commitments made by its parent company to transparently reporting its environmental and social performance.

In hindsight, a simpler framework may have been possible which nevertheless delivered the same results.

The most helpful monitoring activities to the community-facing teams were those undertaken by the lenders, the external advisory panel and the local NGO monitoring project. These ensured that resources were available to the team for delivering commitments to communities. They also provided advice which helped teams deal with difficult issues, and encouraged adoption of best practice from other projects.


61

EXERCISE

62

In each small groups consider how you would scrutinize the projects if you were ONE of the following:

• A government inspector

• An international financial lender

• A human rights auditor

• An international environmental NGO

• A community.

What would you scrutinize? What standards would you use? What ‘proof’ would you look for? What are the most difficult questions you could ask? Would you cover everything in person – or use others? Would you visit? What desk research would you do?

62

Wrap-up and summary

63

Summary of training

64

Your role is vital

“40 per cent of your community engagement can be shaped by generic guidelines, standards and toolkits but 60 per cent needs to be tailored to the context.”

Industry respondent

(International Institute for Environment and Development, 2016)

64