Blog: Our training session looked at how to give a Green Transition project a strong social licence to operate

One comment we heard at the end of the training day stuck with me: “I knew what to expect, but I was still surprised by the difficult issues that people working on projects face.” The story of the Green Transition promises nothing but good things for everyone, and it is difficult to live up to expectations.

The first course of the Akordi training “Strategic stakeholder cooperation in clean transition projects” took place in Helsinki, Pasila, on 24 and 25 March. The first course involves more than 30 participants from different sectors: business, public sector and NGOs. As course coordinator, I was pleased with the large number of participants, proud of the impressive training content provided by our team of experts, and relieved that the facilities we found at Pasilan Linkki were fit for purpose. Due to the number of participants, we would not have been able to fit into our own office as originally planned.

From theory to practise

The topic was familiar to all participants. The discussion quickly moved on to questions such as How do I remain open to criticism without stirring up principled opposition? What can I influence in a single project? How do I justify why a green transition is necessary at all, or why things cannot go on as they are?

According to one study, the disadvantages or benefits of a project as perceived by the local community influence local acceptance – and vice versa! – said Professor Lasse Peltonen of the University of Eastern Finland. Thus, a process that is perceived to be fair and a strong social licence to operate obtained at an early stage have the effect of reducing the perceived harms and increasing the perceived benefits of a project compared to a similar project with a weak social licence to operate.

A good way to understand the importance of social acceptability is to consider the granting (or refusal) of social licence by the local community as one of the productive factors of the project. The social licence to operate has an impact on the success of the project and the reputation of the company.

Jonna Kangasoja, CEO of Akordi, pointed out that an appropriate approach is to extend early interaction beyond the usual timeframe. Information alone is often not enough to change behaviour, as people’s actions are influenced not only by facts, but also by past experiences, assumptions and interpretations, and the conclusions they draw from them.

Even traditional communication with local residents works better if you first clarify your own goals, said Juha-Pekka Turunen, a Senior Mediator at Akordi. You also need to think about what kind of information really answers the questions that are important to the residents. Turunen gave concrete examples of more or less successful meetings with residents.

 

The bucket of misery, interest and BATNA

When it comes to strategic stakeholder management, the local context cannot be ignored. The ‘bucket of misery’ can be full in different places for different reasons, and it is worth knowing the history of a place, with its setbacks and its highlights. When presenting a new project, it is important to understand the situation into which you are bringing your plan.

An interest-based negotiation strategy starts with identifying the concerns and needs of the parties. So you need to ask and listen. You need to be able to distinguish between the demands being made and the interests behind them. Only by identifying the interests of each party can they be reconciled.

BATNA, on the other hand, is the alternative left to each party if no agreement is reached through negotiation. The acronym stands for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. The parties’ BATNAs are different and affect everything that happens at the negotiating table.

What about thermodynamics?

The question that seemed to linger for many after the few days was expressed aloud by one participant: “I am impressed with what I have learnt, but how do I pass on the insights to my colleagues who see the world from the perspective of thermodynamics and cost-effectiveness rather than social interaction?”.

Next, participants will apply what they have learned to their own work, and we will look at the results of these personal assignments as a group in a few weeks’ time.

For us as a training provider, the first few days have given us a great impetus to move forward. There are five more courses in our training calendar for this year, and soon we will start working on the upcoming trainings.

 

Irina Niinivaara

The author is Chief Operating Officer at Akordi and the Course Coordinator.