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Project development is somewhat like an iceberg. The information we don’t have at the outset is very much the bit under the water. And the bit in sight can often be unstable. A foundation, which includes a Social Licence, needs to be built. Project developers tend to rely on finding the information required to build this by contracting the right professionals. Yet, nowadays, when multiple stakeholders are potentially impacted, this is no longer sufficient. This article outlines the need (and a path to the how) for a win-win mindset at the top levels.
I have had a lecture in trust recently. From a group of near neighbours to an energy project. They knew I believed in both the project and the need to earn a Social Licence to Operate. The project needed to be designed as a win-win for both the developer and the local community. We had built a decent level of trust together. But after a period away, the term ‘trust’ was being used in a very different context.
Download this article that shows that strong governance and stakeholder engagement standards and competences are crucial to build a Social Licence to Operate.
This celebration includes a big ‘thank you!’ to all the community members, business executives, local authority officials, development agencies, academic institutions and colleagues for sharing so much over the past decade. Raising the bar and daring to develop joined-up-thinking projects resulted in real value being added to society, while designing out associated risks and addressing sustainability challenges. In so doing, projects gained their social license to operate.