Conservation through conversation? Therapeutic engagement on biodiversity and extinction between NGOs and companies

Abstract

Adopting a theoretical framework from social narrative therapy, this paper examines how new realities are being constantly created as the corporate narrative is rewritten or 're-storied' through engagement between NGO-therapists and corporate-clients.Detailed interviews are conducted with 21 NGOs operating in a developing economy and working with local and multi-national companies. The research reveals how the relationship between NGOs and companies has shifted from an adversarial one (reported in earlier studies) to one characterised by constructive dialogue, facilitation and mediation. The engagements have 'therapeutic' properties and offer one solution for tackling the impacts which modern business practices are having on biodiversity. An extensive review of narrative and social constructionist perspectives across business ethics, organisations and accounting is beyond the scope of this paper. The discussion and analysis are limited to the application of narrative approaches to counselling to NGO-company relationships.

Managing and accounting for corporate biodiversity contributions. Mapping the field

“…Reviewing the academic management and accounting research literature with regard to biodiversity themes reveals that many pioneering papers have unveiled deficiencies of conventional accounting with regard to biodiversity (e.g., maybe the first was Hines, 1991) and focused on accountability and reporting (e.g., Boiral, 2016; Hassan et al, 2020; Husin et al, 2018). Much of the existing research highlights the small topical coverage of biodiversity in corporate reports (e.g., Adler et al, 2018; GRI, 2007; van Liempd & Busch, 2013; Rimmel & Jonäll, 2013) and provides insight about necessities for companies to consider biodiversity (e.g., Atkins & Atkins, 2019), benefits and challenges to involve stakeholders (Atkins et al, 2022; Boiral et al, 2019; Boiral & Heras‐Saizarbitoria, 2017), the emancipatory potential of (external) accounting for biodiversity (e.g., Atkins & Atkins, 2016, 2019; Atkins & Maroun, 2018; Maroun & Atkins, 2018) and the more concrete potential of extinction accounting to raise awareness and support protection (e.g., Atkins et al, 2018; Atkins & Atkins, 2019). Interestingly enough only few company or industry case studies have been analysed, so far (e.g., Jones, 1996; for mining see Mansoor & Maroun, 2016; or seafood: Usher & Maroun, 2018), while regional or ecosystem cases are more common (e.g., Cuckston, 2013, 2017).…”

Interpreting stakeholder ecosystems through relational stakeholder theory: The case of a highly contested megaproject

“…This approach, in the case of the Turin–Lyon HSR, has generated large—and sometimes violent—conflicts with civil society. According to Atkins et al (2021), this issue may be overcome through an active conversation with environmental NGOs and civil society.…”

“…This aspect is crucial to identify, as defined by Byrson (2004) and by Wood et al (2021), the indirect and involuntary stakeholders, thus enhancing an ecosystem view of megaproject stakeholders (Kujala & Korhonen, 2017). In this sense, Atkins et al (2021) highlighted how active conversations between environmental NGOs and firms may lead to common visions, avoiding conflicts and disputes. To do so, in megaprojects, it is absolutely necessary to adopt a stakeholder engagement strategy from the early planning and design phases.…”

“…In this sense, moving from a corporate‐centric and descriptive analysis to a conceptual and normative one is crucial for long‐term, sustainable strategies. Such reasoning and stakeholder perspectives (i.e., the conceptual and normative ones) are particularly crucial for megaproject planning and management, and they may enable democratic dialogues, especially with secondary stakeholders such as environmental NGOs that typically act as guardians and watchdogs for the preservation of the environment (Atkins et al, 2021).…”

Editorial

“…The study reveals that regulatory influence and certification standards have significantly shaped biodiversity management practices, leading to structural and field‐level changes within tea plantation companies. Finally, Atkins et al (2022) examine how new realities are being constantly created as the corporate narrative is rewritten or ‘re‐storied’ through engagement between NGOs and corporations. Their research reveals how the relationship between NGOs and companies has shifted from an adversarial to constructive dialogue, facilitation and mediation.…”