Discovering how direct relationships between multinational businesses and community groups can improve development effectiveness

Abstract

Abstract provided by author:

The indicators of effectiveness are relationships where two types of knowledge, metis [Mē tis] and Techne [see footnote 1] are both present, and where there is evidence of new forms of organization. The key question for the research is how direct relationships between multinational businesses and community groups can inform effective development practice

Two case studies of large multinational businesses in the ruining industry are presented - one of diamond mining in Canada, and the other, of gold mining in Namibia. The cases address: the process by which relationships are established; the expectations and issues that arise from the relationships; the modes of communication and decision making; structures and rules that guide decision making; emerging new structures; and the roles of government and nongovernmental organizations

The case studies reveal that in cases of multinational business relationships with communities: (1) Direct relationships between multinational businesses and community groups are mutually beneficial and contribute to effective development; (2) Multinational business culture can be critical to community relationships that result in effective development; (3) Government is also important in facilitating direct relationships between businesses and communities; (4) The presence of both Metis and Techne is a powerful indicator of relationships that support effective development; (5) Metis and Techne can operate together to address complex technical, social and environmental issues; (6) An exclusively technocratic approach does not permit relationship building across local and global levels; (7) Local/Global relationships can help overcome conflict within the local level; and (8) NGO influence declines in the presence of direct relationships between multinational businesses and community groups

[Footnote] 1 Metis and Techne are terms that originate in classical Greek and refer to two distinct and complementary types of knowledge. Techne is associated with things universal. Techne tends to be small, bounded, explicit, decomposable, verifiable and impervious to context. In contrast, Metis is associated with knowledge that can come only from practical experience. Metis operates in situations that are transient, shifting, disconcerting and ambiguous, situations that do not lend themselves to precise measurement or rigorous logic. (Scott, J. C. 1998. Seeing Like a State. New Haven: Yale University Press.)