Building Community Alignment. S. L. Thorne and G. E. Butte, Decision Partners
Over the past 20 years, industry has learned a lot about how to communicate with citizens about the risks associated with their products and operations. Initiatives like the Chemical Industry’s Responsible Care(r) program have changed the way industries and individual companies work with their stakeholders, particularly citizens in plant communities. While significant progress is being made, industry and company leaders often feel that their outreach efforts are not having the desired effect. Recent research undertaken by Decision Partners, based on a mental models approach, shows that the key to effective community outreach is alignment with the interests and priorities of the stakeholders. The findings suggest an emphasis on direct communication by knowledgeable industry people on topics that are relevant to the stakeholders can be particularly effective. This research and recent experience demonstrate that a new, science-based approach is available for communicating about the benefits and risks of products, operations, and new projects. Decision Partners will discuss current applications of this approach including: building community support for new power projects, aligning the company’s interests with those of the community of interests along a new pipeline, earning the respect of a community following serious environmental problems, and demonstrating that operations are aligned with the priorities of their community stakeholders.
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