Will Guther
Operation Corporate Training
The modern global economy provides additional opportunities as well as new and difficult problems in developing nations. In the field of oil and gas exploration and production, problems in developing nations are intensified by the huge cultural gap, unstable political situations, high crime, and poor relations with the local populace.
On the home front, these problems have a ripple effect in regard to the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. Difficulties like these require the use of experts in the areas of cultural awareness, diplomatic relations, rapport building, and security.
Many corporations spend large sums of money attempting to establish a working relationship in a developing nation. Often, the pace of bureaucracy in developing nations is frustratingly slow. This frustration can be amplified if investors are in negotiations with the wrong political figures, which often happens because many nations are actually governed by informal leaders or through ethnic or tribal ties.
One particular oil producer spent five years attempting to gain access in a particular African nation. If they had originally used cultural experts with experience in the country, the company would have saved over four years of expenditures. The corporation eventually discovered how cost-effective the right personnel could be. Qualified personnel who have strong working relationships with government insiders and a complete understanding of a particular country and its geopolitical and cultural issues are priceless.
Ongoing dilemma
Once a corporation has gained a foothold in a developing nation, the challenges have only begun. In countries where there is a multitude of ethnic and tribal groups, there is often instability and a plethora of unique and separate needs for each ethnic group.
The leaders of these separate groups find it easier to unite their people against a common enemy, which is all too often the foreign corporation. This causes animosity toward the corporation and can lead to a lack of qualified local employees and hostile acts against the corporation's staff and facilities.
The potential for hostile acts will lead to an undesirable situation for loyal members of the corporation, many of which may choose to remain at their domestic positions. Hostile acts often tarnish the image of the corporation due to the negative press, which tends to portray the attackers as victims of a corporate giant. This negative press and tarnished image are the basis for the current reputation in the oil industry, thus creating a huge deficit in the number of chemical engineers recruited into the oil industry.
This scenario is played out over and over around the globe. The expenditures on community projects that fail to develop a positive working relationship are astronomical. The cost in terms of lost production due to demonstrations, the fear of reprisal, and hostile acts against employees can be measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.
Establishing relationships
The scenario can be changed, but it requires a fresh approach and uniquely qualified people. These hostile acts can be avoided, and a strong working relationship can be achieved through the use of liaison teams comprised of personnel culturally aware and skilled in the art of rapport building. Most importantly, these personnel should be highly skilled in information gathering and information analysis.
The usual method of developing support is through the hiring of local residents to become community liaisons. Although these people are very helpful, they are pressured by the local leaders, both formal and informal, to act on their behalf through underlying fear of reprisal. Corporate staff members also are used to conduct liaison activities with local leaders.
While both methods are helpful, they do not provide key corporate leaders with the true picture of the community as a whole, its concerns, and needs. Furthermore, the number of people the information passes through prior to reaching the decision makers greatly reduces the ability to act in a timely manner.
For example, former US President Bill Clinton and the US Department of Defense discovered the deficiencies of standard liaison procedures in the hostile regions of Bosnia and Kosovo. They realized that in emerging nations there are many individuals seeking power, and some individuals already in power seeking financial gain. They also realized that without a clear picture of the true socio-political landscape, effective policies, vital to the stabilization of the region, and the projection of a positive image to the local population would never become a reality.
'Eyes and ears'
Unique personnel with special skills in rapport building, cultural awareness, and information analysis were placed in the role of liaison elements. These liaison elements quickly gained the trust of the local populace and became the "eyes and ears" of the theater commander. They lived and worked among the local populace while the rest of the forces were stationed at fortified compounds. Living in a hostile area with very little protection made it imperative to build rapport and earn acceptance. In a short time, they became an invaluable asset.
A similar approach can be applied to the corporate sector working in hostile regions with a multitude of ethnic or tribal groups. The use of teams working in a self-contained element can be extremely productive and more in tune with the overall view of the local populace.
Cross-referencing information among the team members enables them to discern the leaders and informal leaders within the community and helps determine fact from fiction. With the ability to interact with the poorest layman or the richest community leader, the teams are able to determine the community projects that would reap the greatest rewards with the least expense.
Attitude
The key capability of the self-contained teams is the ability to determine the attitude toward the corporation. The combination of these skills provides the team with the foresight to predict possible hostile actions and when and where they may occur. The trust and confidence a good liaison team develops in a community will allow them to diffuse hostile situations before they happen.
In situations where distrust and disdain for the corporation is prevalent, these teams can act as a separate element instead of being considered staff members of the corporation. This slight separation enables the teams to gain a foothold with locals who show animosity toward the corporation. Once the team gains a foothold, they will be able to earn the trust and confidence of the locals and begin to bring about a change in attitude toward the corporation.
As contractors, instead of corporate staff, the team can interact directly with the project manager to work together toward positive solutions regarding community relations. The teams also maintain a link with the domestic department executive, which allows the executive a daily update of the situation in a particular region.
Other measures
Although liaison teams can defuse local hostile situations directed against a corporation, there is still a need for crisis planning in the unstable regions where oil exploration and production is usually conducted. Corporate leaders must develop plans to evacuate corporate employees in the event that a civil war or coup should occur. These plans must include measures for the extreme cases in which an uprising causes the closure of the airport. Even if the airport remains open, it may not be feasible to travel through hostile crowds.
These extreme circumstances require precise planning and highly qualified security personnel. The plan must be thoroughly briefed to corporate personnel upon their arrival on the site. As an incident is occurring is not the time to inform personnel of the plan. The plan should be kept confi- dential among the corporate staff. Local workers could inform hostile factions of the evacuation plans, which could lead to disaster. A detailed medical evacuation plan should also be in place.
Other necessary measures include training the on-site guard force to repel guerilla attacks on the facility and its logistical infrastructure. A quality guard force combined with a good liaison team can ensure the protection of all staff members and the facility. Those individuals seeking to do harm to the corporation will be less likely to attack if they know the guard force is being professionally trained.
Corporate staff members will feel safer with this knowledge. The guard force at the harbor sites should be trained equally as well. This could greatly reduce the theft and sabotage of cargo awaiting shipment. Professional security consultants should be used to discover which members of the harbor staff might be working with the local criminal element.
Piracy
Most of the issues covered in this article pertain to land-based facilities, but this in no way means that offshore rigs are exempt from hostile acts. With piracy on the rise throughout the world, the potential for platform attacks will increase.
Off the east and west coasts of Africa, pirates have attacked ships with mortars, grenade launchers, and machine guns. Although the only acts against platforms so far have been from non-violent members of environmental groups, violent attacks could occur.
Most modern day pirates are after money. Rig workers carrying cash could be the target of these pirates. In some African countries, there is animosity toward the lifestyle of the west. Terrorist attacks against oil platforms could deter western companies from operating in the area. This would help a guerilla movement by cutting the flow of income to the government they are attempting to overthrow.
There are many steps that can be taken to deter such acts. The primary step should be a watch placed on the platform, especially during the hours of 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., which is when most acts of maritime terrorism occur. The pirates rely on the element of surprise, and placing a watch in conjunction with spotlights can greatly reduce the potential of attack.
Working in hostile regions can be an extremely profitable experience if the necessary steps are taken to ensure positive community relations and a safe environment for corporate staff. Current methods are costing corporations far too much.
A fresh approach can yield great dividends for the shareholders and corporate members. We are experiencing an exciting global revolution, a revolution that will require revolutionary thinking to achieve maximum success.
Author
Will Gunther is President of Operation Corporate Training, a company composed of former Special Operations (US and other armed forces) members. The company specializes in global corporate development, investment protection, and recovery. Gunther spent 12 years in military intelligence and special operations. He holds a bachelors degree and speaks four languages.
