- Capturing and maintaining information relating to previous stakeholder interactions is important for a project/activity. Changes in company practitioners or project circumstances may mean that stakeholders view the personnel change as an opportunity to rehash already resolved past issues/grievances. The ability to delve into previous stakeholder records to assist with future engagement activities provides more informed and effective outcomes for all parties.
- The use of digital tools is an effective means to collect and retain information during the stakeholder engagement process. While it is not a mandatory requirement to conduct meaningful engagement it does provide opportunities to increase data consistency,
response efficiency, apply lessons learnt, and help with KPI tracking.
Project background/scenario
An oil and gas company operating a liquified natural gas facility sought to measure the success of its stakeholder engagement campaigns through the establishment of key performance indicators (KPIs). The aim was to ensure that ongoing engagements remained meaningful and effective.
Accordingly, the company developed a suite of KPIs to track and measure stakeholder engagement and more broadly social performance outcomes. The KPIs primarily relate to the number of engagements conducted by company practitioners, and the resolution of issues and grievances raised by members of affected communities. The data collected to inform the KPIs includes qualitative and quantitative data points, including the number/type of stakeholders engaged, the number/type of community events conducted, as well as the extent of community understanding about the operation and associated activities. These KPIs are captured in a digital dashboard and distributed internally throughout the company to inform management as well as practitioners on key current and emerging trends and inform future decision- making.
To assist with the ongoing KPI tracking and management of related data, a digital Information Management System was introduced by the company. The new system builds on a previous system and acts as a stakeholder database, with stakeholder profiles created and used to inform planning engagement initiatives. Previous stakeholder queries and responses are logged within the system and attached to individual stakeholder profiles. This provides the Community Affairs Officers with an enhanced level of understanding of the stakeholders being engaged. This includes a history of prior inquiry, feedback, issues, concerns and/ or grievances.
Since the rollout of the Information Management System, mobile application access has been granted to the Community Affairs Officers, allowing engagement information to be captured in real time – e.g. in the field. Importantly, the mobile application can be used without the need for internet connectivity, allowing engagement records to be completed and then uploaded to the system later once when internet access is re-established.
How engagement was made meaningful
In this case study, engagement was made meaningful through the following:
- Principle 1 – the company sought to ensure stakeholder engagement outcomes associated with their operations were successful and appropriate for community stakeholders over the long-term. The company used a suite of qualitative and quantitative KPIs to track and measure stakeholder trust and the timeliness of responses provided by the company. Further, the KPIs helped to ensure continuity through knowledge transfer if/when personnel changed.
- Principle 5 – the use of an Information Management System for stakeholder engagement sought to ensure that the outcomes from each engagement conducted, including feedback and potential concerns, issues,
or grievances raised by community members were appropriately recorded/logged for company action. Furthermore, the data collected is used to better inform ongoing decision-making by the company.