Sociology for Mineral E xploration

1. Sociology for Mineral Exploration Jan BoonRFG 2018

2. For details:https://curve.carleton.ca/system/files/etd/6c6598d4-c436-409e-9ba1-40dea2d37d2c/etd_pdf/7b39ca613ff7e7e2df52ed82580e3974/boon-corporatesocialresponsibilityrelationships.pdf

3. Overview • Background • Sociologicalmodel and tools • Puttingthisintopractice • Conclusions • Acknowledgements

4. Background • Sociological model based on nine case studies • 240 semi-structured interviews – broad range of actors. Focus on: • relationship patterns and characteristics • company CSR strategy • perceived benefits and harms • reference communities

5. Observations • Cases were sui generis • Relationships drove events • Same sociological processes in all cases a generalized model could be developed • Dialogue is at the heart of the model

6. Sociological Model and Tools

7. Meanings Interpretation Options Reference communities Normative considerations Decision and action “Whole wide world” Sociological Process Model* Change process Relationships and interactions *Blumer, 1967 Symbolic Interactionism

8. Reference Communities • Audiences of real or imaginarypeople • Have real or perceived link to the actors’ “communal” life and associated values • Provide the actors with normative cues (often in an almost subconscious way) • Examples: town’s general assembly; church; professional and trade associations; political parties; “head office”

9. Interactional Needs • Identity confirmation (core, social,group, role) • Benefits from the interaction • Inclusion • Trust • Transparency

10. Tactical Needs • Be visible • Be sincere • Personalize encounters • Be clear about your own expectations • Establish routines (=> relationship patterns => new social structures)

11. Relationships – Key Ingredient of Success • The rulesdo notmakethegame – theplayers do throughtheirinteractions • Governanceprovidestherules, theactors are theplayers • Theirinteractions are drivenbytheir relationships

12. Relationship Indicators

13. Use of the Indicators • Keep track of the quality of your relationships • Identify areas that need attention • Allow preparation of a relationship matrix that shows relationship patterns at a glance • Indicators can be estimated with increasing reliability: • informed guess using company data and observations • adding publicly available information • adding actor surveys

14. Relationship Matrices –Examples

15. Fruta del NorteRelationship Matrix (25 entities)

16. Río Blanco Relationship Matrix

17. Relationship Evolution: KinrossFruta del Norte project* Courtesy Dominic Channer, Kinross Gold

18. Arrival of project Generalized Relationship Model for Mineral Exploration 2. Initial meanings 3. Meeting interactional needs: DIALOGUE Company characteristics Community characteristics 4. Building relationships 5. Change processes Context 6. Social structures Time 7. Social events, benefits and harms

19. Tools and Concepts Summary • Sociological process model • Reference communities • Interactional needs • Tactical needs • Relationship indicators • Relationship matrix • Generalized relationship model and DIALOGUE You can use these tools and concepts both internally and externally

20. Putting this into Practice Internally

21. M I O Company Characteristics R. C. N • Management style • Culture • Skill sets • Resources • Social responsibility strategy D R, I “W” C

22. M I O Management Styles R. C. N Situational, mixture of: • Directive • Authoritative • Focus on harmony (e.g. Japanese wa 和) • Participative • Coaching D R, I “W” C

23. M I O Case Study Observations R. C. N Management styles in the higher-ranked case studies: • Relaxed, informal, creative, slanted towards harmony • Frequent interactions • Participative • Working towards convergence of meanings D R, I “W” C

24. M I O Company Culture* R. C. N “…a pattern of basic assumptions invented, developed or discovered by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration. It has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore it is to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems…“ *Schein, 1990 D R, I “W” C

25. New Exploration Teams Initial meanings • Different cultures • Different initial meanings • Different reference communities How to deal with this? • Relationship model is a template for process of internal integration and external adaptation • Applying the model internally is good practice for applying it externally Meeting interactional needs: DIALOGUE Building relationships Change processes Company culture

26. Skills… • Build on existing interactional skills • Hire local staff and involve them in all processes • changes the meanings given by communities • helps build internal and external relationships • Bring in expert help (anthropologists, sociologists) • Use e3 Plus (PDAC guidance for responsible mineral exploration)

27. …Skills • Develop capacity internally • Build consistent ethical and moral performance for the long term: • use the sociological processes to develop shared meanings and overlap between reference communities throughout the organization • have this become a way of life

28. Resources • Comparing exploration with mining is like comparing apples and oranges • Requirements vary with circumstances • In most case studies, modest resources sufficed • Creativity and common sense are important • Embedding patterns of behaviour and thought in daily operations is very important • People are the most important resource

29. Social Responsibility Strategy • Companies borrow from existing models • Common elements include • attention to individuals • focus on the common good • avoiding personal favours • resolving conflicts asap • joint projects with communities • community development. • Underlying motives vary from “SLO” to community development as a company goal

30. General Considerations • All processes in the model have moral and ethical dimensions => company and personal values are important • The processes work both inside and outside the company => know thyself • The characteristics of “inside” relationships strongly influence “outside” relationships • Maintaining relationships is hard work • In relationships, there is no “equilibrium”, only movement up or down

31. Conclusions • Relationships are the motor that drives projects • They do this through sociological processes that are well understood • Understanding these processes informs strategies and actions • This requires continuous attention • The rewards can be considerable, both personal in terms of living one’s life, and in terms of project success

32. Acknowledgements • My wife • Financial, logistics, academic and general support: • Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada • MITACS • Roberto Sarudiansky, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires • Alejandro Díez Hurtado, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú • Carleton University • Organization of American States • Secretaría Nacional de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación del Ecuador • Instituto Nacional de Investigación Geológico, Minero y Metalúrgico del Ecuador • Canadian embassies • NRCan and colleagues • All interviewees • All companies