(5)Social Licence in 'Real Time': Using Dynamic Methods to Support a New Kind of Community Relationship

摘要

For mining companies, securing and maintaining the socio-political license to operate (SPLTO)is increasingly becoming a critical component of operational performance. The SPLTO is granted by external stakeholders and can be withdrawn in a short period of time. SPLTO is dynamic and multidimensional; it is influenced on a daily basis by a multitude of factors and interactions as well as the broader context in which the mine operates. Despite its increasing importance, methods used to understand and model the key pathways to SPLTO, such as annual stakeholder perception surveys, do not always reflect its dynamism or the multi-dimensional nature. This paper will describe a series of five pilot projects conducted by CSIRO with Anglo American in Australia and South Africa to generate a 'real time' understanding of SPLTO to guide more reflexive and effective social performance strategies. The approach involves a deep 'anchor' survey of local stakeholder perceptions using online and household survey methods, followed by brief monthly 'pulse' surveys using online and mobile phone technology platforms. Anonymous data collected from individual participants are tracked across time to identify issues before they become conflicts, assess the influence of external factors on company- stakeholder relationships, and allow for comparison of patterns in the data across site and country contexts. Staggering the collection of monthly 'pulse' survey data means that the company has a 'real time' understanding of SPLTO, accessed through dynamic dashboards within the business. The data shows a strong correspondence between the more complex modelling of the anchor data and the monthly pulse surveys, indicating the method and design is robust. As in previous quantitative research on SPLTO, trust in the company was a strong predictor of acceptance of each of the operations examined. The drivers of trust varied between sites and will be discussed in a context of contextualised company responses, the pursuit of a 'new kind' of relationship between Anglo American and stakeholders, and implications for social performance management.