2003, Deanna Kemp / Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM)
This paper examines a collaborative learning program between BHP Billiton and Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (CAA), called the Corporate Community Leadership Program (CCLP). The CCLP was designed to sensitize BHP Billiton managers to a participatory and human rights-based approach to development. Like other companies, BHP Billiton has embedded principles of participatory development into its corporate policy commitments, but has come to recognize the challenges of implementation. In addressing these challenges, BHP Billiton has collaborated with Oxfam CAA in the development of the CCLP, with the aim of increasing management understanding and awareness of participatory development.
The paper first outlines the principles of participatory development and sets them against the myriad of issues global resource companies (GRCs) face in applying the principles in practice. It then describes the key features of the CCLP and looks at its impact on the thinking and actions of participants. The key conclusion of the paper is that the program was highly effective on an individual participant level. However, questions remain as to how learning’s will translate into improved practice at a site, company and, potentially, industry level.
