Proactive Stakeholder Engagement

Identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders is a challenge faced by many companies. By engaging with stakeholders, this Laboratory aims to develop an innovative and successful approach towards proactive stakeholder engagement.

Leaders		Facilitators

CSR Europe members and Laboratory participants can access additional information in the members' area.

Project Description

Building upon successful and unsuccessful experiences, this Laboratory aims to increase the understanding of various innovative approaches towards stakeholder engagement. The lab has the ambition to map out and better understand proactive ways in which companies can engage with stakeholders (e.g. government(s) at various levels, NGOs, employees and trade unions); and to explore opportunities for joint action.

It will result in a series of commitments to inspiring new initiatives that will be announced at the European Multi-stakeholder Forum on CSR Conference at the end of 2008. This allows companies and stakeholders to jointly shape the objectives and deliverables, through innovative communication techniques like ‘speed-dating'. Where appropriate, links with other CSR Laboratories will be established.

Main Project Objectives and Targets

Objectives:

To gain a better understanding of existing approaches towards effective and innovative stakeholder engagement by a ‘mapping' process, based on successful AND unsuccessful experiences.
To identify, through a speed-dating process amongst companies and key stakeholders, the availability of specific needs and experiences with effective practices
To obtain a commitment towards new innovative partnerships amongst the laboratory participants
To establish links with other laboratories (eg Science in Schools, Diversity, Transparency, Entrepreneurship, CSR in the Supply Chain, Bottom of the Pyramid), where appropriate

Deliverables:

A European cartography of different types of stakeholder engagement, incorporating both ‘soft' and ‘hard' processes and tools that will guide businesses and stakeholders in their dialogue and engagement
A series of new commitments towards proactive partnerships, to be launched in 2008 (European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR Conference)
Summary of conclusions and options for how companies, social partners, and other stakeholders could further mainstream stakeholder engagement within the European policy on CSR and Sustainable Development

Laboratory Leaders

Total Suez

Facilitators

ORSE, in close collaboration with CSR Europe. Available research based on earlier collaboration:

(i) NGOs - building upon existing action research, tools and practical guidelines, e.g. work carried out by CSRe and ORSE (2004), Business & Society Belgium (2005), and ORSE (2006).
(ii) Proactive engagement with: IMS, Business & Society Belgium, Philias and other possible CSR Europe National Partners

Company Participants

P&G, Intel, Nordea, Suez, Telecom Italia, Canon, Atlantis Consulting, Autogrill, Bausparkasse Schwabbisch Hall, British American Tobacco Hellas, Cosmote, DaimlerChrysler, Deutsche Bahn, Elefsis, Gruppo Falck, Holcim, Intracom, S&B Minerals, Shell Hellas, Toyota Hellas; interested/already active companies, Telecom Italia, KPMG, Autogrill, Hera, Manutencoop

Contact Information

Jan Noterdaeme, On behalf of the European C'homme'Pany for CSR
+32 2 541 1612 / 497 48 4347
jn@csreurope.org

Chabuca Barnes, CSR Europe
+32 2 541 1620 / 498 50 5832
cb@csreurope.org

Milestones

Incubation Phase

January - March 2007 - Conference calls and bilateral meetings with Epson and ORSE
6 April 2007 - 1^st incubation meeting of the LAB group leaders and facilitators
19 April 2007 - Roundtable LABS Discussion in Brussels

Kick Off

5 July 2007 - First physical meeting with a wider group of companies and stakeholders
5 October 2007 - 2^nd laboratory meeting
29 November 2007 - CSR Europe MarketPlace Event on Brussels - Initial Results of LABS Demonstrated
2008 - Dates will be communicated at the Marketplace event on the 29th of November