Stakeholder Engagement for Effective Management and Reporting

Workshop rationale

If effective management and reporting are about minimising negative and maximising positive environmental and social impacts, then stakeholder engagement is one of the core skills and key activities which enable this to happen successfully and effectively. Organisations can no longer choose if they want to engage with stakeholders or not; the only decision they need to take is when and how successfully to engage. When organisations don’t engage stakeholders successfully, they can lose out, with subsequent negative impacts.

Stakeholder engagement is relevant to any type of organisation: business, public or civil society. It is particularly important in the context of running an organisation responsibly and is integral to the concept of corporate responsibility, good governance and transparent reporting.

Principle 16 in the King IV Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement: In the execution of its governance role and responsibilities, the governing body should adopt a stakeholder-inclusive approach that balances the needs, interests and expectations of material stakeholders in the best interests of the organisation over time. Stakeholder relations is also one of the six capitals addressed in integrated reporting.

Engaging with stakeholders in a structured and well-managed way enables a proactive cultivation of relationships that can serve as a valuable capital during challenging times. Stakeholder engagement should be driven by a well-defined strategy and have a clear set of objectives which are in line with an organisation’s operational strategy and business plan.

Workshop Objectives

The aim of this workshop is to provide participants with a thorough understanding of the stakeholder engagement process.

Specific objectives include:

  • Develop an insight into the importance of using a structured engagement proses;
  • Develop an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of management and the stakeholder engagement co-ordinator;
  • Study examples how various organizations conducted their stakeholder engagement; and
  • Develop the skills to develop and implement the engagement plan.

Who should attend?

  • Stakeholder engagement practitioners
  • Sustainability managers
  • Business leaders
  • Board members and other executives
  • Community engagement and development officers
  • Corporate communication managers and officers
  • Officials from all tiers of government
  • Trade unions representatives
  • Representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

Approach to the workshop

This workshop is highly interactive and includes:

  • Interactive presentations
  • Class and small group discussions
  • Studying examples of disclosures on stakeholder engagement

Outline of the one-day workshop

The workshop covers the following topics:

  1. Outcome and purpose of Stakeholder Engagement (SE)
  2. Stakeholder identification and analysis
  3. Engagement plan
  4. Engagement process
  5. Stakeholder feedback and reporting
  6. Role of management in SE

Certificate

Successful participants will receive an attendance certificate.

Registration

To register for this course, please click here. To view the training schedule, please visit our training calendar.

Related training

ESS offers the Sustainability Performance Indicator Workshop back to back with the GRI certified course for a more comprehensive package.

Training and Consulting Professionals