Engaging Interested Parties: Navigating Expectations and Social License
Parties who are interested in you. How flattering! I like this term better than stakeholders, because some confuse the latter with shareholders or those actively involved in your business. Social license is a term related to society giving you permission to operate – or more importantly, withdrawing permission. Many projects fail because they do not have the social license to operate. So, the expectations of interested parties can be critical.
Interested parties can include regulators, the media, eNGOs, academia, shareholders, staff, suppliers, vendors, customers, your neighbours, and more.
There are many ways to solicit the views and understand the expectations of Interested parties. Surveys, interviews, townhalls and the like. Market intelligence reports can often provide generic, yet valuable first steps understanding. Nothing beats one-on-one interviews – with a big caveat that follows.
Organizations tend to stumble with the filter they apply. And this is the filter:
- Do I agree or like what I hear? Maybe accept.
- Do I disagree or dislike what I hear? Likely reject.
I do this unconsciously. You do it too. This is part of our human psychology.
Progress is made when we can do this. For example:
- South African Apartheid
- Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation – if it continues
- Management’s relationship with its union?
It is difficult, maybe even painful, for me to listen to the views of people I do not like nor agree with and extract the truth to change my circumstances. I rarely do this. Maybe only when forced to. How about you?
Join in the #GSSChallenge. This week’s theme is “What is your vision?”
