The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum
The community has spoken Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
Between August 2013 and May 2014 CIM undertook an extensive strategic outreach exercise aimed at identifying and responding to the changing needs of our members, our industry and society at large. We wanted to give members and other stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback about fundamental CIM activities and initiatives as well as suggestions about new arenas in which we should be active. These findings will be instrumental in driving CIM’s strategic directions and priorities for the next three to five years. To support us in our endeavor, CIM engaged the services of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a highly respected consulting firm with expertise in strategic outreach, which supported us throughout the five rigorous phases of outreach including: • an online Choicebook™ survey • five cross-country round table strategic discussions with industry leaders • webinars with CIM District and Society Executives • the development of a Strategic Framework and Logic Model • a Leadership Congress held during the 2014 CIM Convention In an iterative approach, each engagement exercise was designed to build upon the finding from the previous stages, validating results and drilling down to get more details and clarity, particularly in new and emerging areas. The findings that follow represent an amalgamation and summary of the various reports prepared by Hill+Knowlton. The community has spoken
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PHASE 1 Choicebook™ survey The first phase of the exercise entailed the deployment of a sophisticated and innovative online Choicebook™ survey tool that was open for a three-week period between November and December 2014. In a departure from conventional survey formats, the more interactive and informative nature of this tool is designed to present added context for participants’ input. This not only provided respondents with an opportunity to learn more about CIM activities and initiatives they may not have been aware of, but it also assisted them in making more informed responses.
MINING COMPANIES............................................28% CONSULTING FIRMS........................................23% ACADEMIA & RESARCH..........................16% SUPPLIERS/MANUFACTURERS.................16% OTHER........................................11% GOVERNMENT ................... 5% ASSOCIATIONS 2%
Survey stats • • • • •
sent out to CIM members and stakeholders online for three weeks took 30-40 minutes to complete 1,487 started 1,148 completed (77% completion rate)
Participant Profile • participants from all regions of Canada • 20% international participants Wide diversity of sectors and organizations represented • 66% members of CIM • 22% not currently members, but of these, 27% are former members • 12% not sure if they are members Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
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Choicebook™ findings
Society awareness and involvement
Engagement
Even though 68% of participants (77% of members) are aware that CIM has 10 technical societies, only roughly one quarter of survey participants (36% of members) actually belong to a CIM technical society. Not surprisingly, membership in a society was shown to be associated with the level of engagement with CIM and with tenure.
Among members, expressed engagement with CIM proved to be rather modest, with 26% indicating that they are engaged/very engaged, and 48% claiming to be somewhat engaged. It was found that engagement is not strongly related to tenure within the organization, but those who were currently a member of a CIM technical society are more engaged.
Branch awareness and involvement
58% of members are aware/somewhat aware of CIM branch activities, with 53% of members claiming not to be engaged at the branch level. The community has spoken
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CIM’s six service areas Respondents were asked to provide feedback on a wide range of activities and initiatives, which were grouped into CIM’s six primary service areas presented at right and ranked in order of importance expressed in the survey. However, it is important to note that each of these service areas was deemed important. This chart represents a ranking.
Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
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Over the past three years 71% of participants (76% of members) have attended a CIM event. Local (58%) and national (53%) were the most widely attended events, compared to regional (25%) and international (17%). However, there was an expressed interest in having more local and regional events as well as in having more of all types. Respondents indicated that they are looking for a balance of scientific/technical content and networking opportunities and expressed a strong appetite for live updates and broadcasting/streaming of presentations.
The community has spoken
Over half the participants (63%) felt that CIM should provide more professional development (PD) opportunities. Additionally, less than one third were aware of CIM-related activities that they may be able to claim as PD credits. Not surprisingly, those members who are engaged tended to be more aware of CIM activities that could be claimed.
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The perceived value of CIM print and online publications remains strong, with CIM Magazine deemed the most valuable resource with 81% identifying it as valuable/very valuable. The CIM website (78%), CIM Journal (70%) and CIM e-News (65%) followed in popularity. It is interesting to note that while 61% of respondents considered the Online Technical Library valuable/very valuable, 28% were not aware of its existence. Lack of awareness also appears to be a factor with the perceived value of two other journals put out by CIM’s technical societies: Exploration and Mining Geology Journal (Geological Society) and Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly (Metallurgical and Materials Society). When asked about the format of publications, participants generally preferred online access, with CIM Magazine being the exception, as it is more likely to be preferred in print format, particularly among members. Additionally, most participants (84%) see value in CIM expanding its publishing program to explore more products and subject areas.
Respondents felt strongly that CIM could have a significant impact in telling the “Canadian mining story” (88%) and many (80%) felt that CIM should empower its members to do this. Utilizing a sliding allocator tool, participants were able to indicate their interest level with different target groups. The results can be seen below.
INTEREST LEVEL WITH TARGET GROUPS Overall, respondents CANADIAN GOVERNMENTS 18.5 agreed that SCHOOLS & POST-SECONDARY 16.5 there is a role INDUSTRY 15.5 for CIM to play in developing FIRST NATIONS, INUIT & MÉTIS 10.7 more structured MEDIA 9.8 opportunities NGOs 8.4 for stakeholder engagement FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS 6.3 (74%). OTHER ASSOCIATIONS 3.6 OTHER 2.1
There was very widespread support for CIM continuing to deliver its Mining 4 Society (M4S) program (77%) with almost three-quarters agreeing that CIM should seek additional support for the program. Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
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Showcasing Canadian expertise and technology were viewed as the most useful activities in the international growth arena. The need to collaborate with other organizations around the world so as to not duplicate efforts was emphasized, as was demonstrating that the value and benefits should flow back to Canada.
PERCEIVED USEFULNESS OF CIM ACTIVITIES Showcasing Canadian expertise & technology Working with other national bodies & sister associations to increase international collaboration Helping to develop a global sector institute for knowledge exchange & professional development
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Developing the Centre for Excellence in CSR
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Hosting outgoing delegations from Canada
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Hosting the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Series
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Don’t know
Not useful
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45
39 7 9 7
Somewhat useful
It is worth noting that with each of these latter cases, only a small percentage is actually opposed to expanding the scope and a fairly significant group (38% and 40% respectively) claimed to be neutral.
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Participants also showed strong support for the provision of scholarships (87%) and for the notion that CIM should do more to support work term programs (78%).
42 38
33
44
30
44 Very useful
Less than one in five (17%) participants are “very aware” of CIM awards, with 50% declaring themselves “somewhat aware.” That said, there was very widespread agreement that recognizing excellence through CIM awards brings prestige (79%) but less support for expanding the scope of its awards (45%) or for introducing more international awards (36%).
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PHASE 2 Cross-country strategic round table discussions The discoveries and data from the ChoicebookTM were instrumental in setting the stage for the topics for discussion in the second phase of the outreach initiative, which consisted of a series of five in-person round table discussions with industry leaders and other strategic stakeholders. The byinvitation sessions, ranging in size from more than 20 participants to under 10, took place in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Calgary, and brought together a wide range of leading corporate industry executives, key players within the federal government, national mining-related associations and consulting companies. Once again, these sessions were facilitated by the team at Hill+Knowlton. The objectives were to: • update participants on CIM’s strategic renewal initiative • share and probe the significance of the findings from the ChoicebookTM exercise • strategize on critical ways to advance opportunities for Canada’s mining sector at home and globally Focus was placed on three topics in particular: professional development; public and stakeholder engagement; and international growth. Not only was it was anticipated that these topics would be highly relevant to this audience, these also represent emerging/growing areas of activity for CIM.
Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
CIM’s executive director, Jean Vavrek, was in attendance for all of these meetings, as was as at least one CIM president – then CIM president Robert Schafer and/or then incoming CIM president Sean Waller (CIM’s incumbent president). Although each session had its own flavour, the following represents an amalgamation of the higher-level findings regarding what the participants thought CIM’s role should be in each of the three areas of activity. Professional development (PD) • Leverage more PD opportunities for members. • Rebrand and promote the PD opportunities provided through CIM’s events. • Help members navigate through a multitude of PD opportunities. • Push for more continuous PD for technical professionals. • Facilitate development of competencies around management and leadership. • Strengthen local knowledge exchange opportunities. • Provide more online PD opportunities and leverage the power of social media and other online platforms. • Identify and fill gaps in PD but avoid duplication and competition from other providers.
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Public and stakeholder engagement
International growth
• Provide effective communications tools, methods and resources for members, branches and societies. • Engage those who can influence younger generations, including working more closely with branches. • Help improve the industry’s aboriginal engagement efforts. • Promote contribution of mining to society to paint a more accurate portrait of the industry and of mining careers, such as leveraging the success of CIM’s Mining 4 Society (M4S) program. • Partner with governments on shared goals (differentiate from advocacy, which was strongly viewed as being under the purview of other organizations such as MAC and CAPP). • Work more closely with the business community as partners to encourage government action that supports the mining industry.
• Utilize a targeted approach to work more closely with others already involved in international work. • Position CIM as the “go-to” organization for sharing mining expertise and best practices internationally. • Promote Canadian technology and expertise to help “sell” Canada abroad. • Improve CSR and sustainability efforts in other countries • Contribute to Canada’s broader international development and capacity-building goals. • Engage mining academics to attract international students and bring best practices of Canadian mining companies to other countries. • Expand CIM’s presence in other countries, particularly through international branches, to bring together and support Canadians working abroad. • Demonstrate the value of international involvement to branches (global excellence, commercial opportunities, standards development, etc.).
The community has spoken
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PHASE 3 Interactive webinars with CIM district and society representatives In April 2014, CIM conducted two interactive webinars with the district and society executives to gather their perspectives and ideas on how to capitalize on emerging opportunities and address key challenges facing the Institute’s membership and the Canadian mining sector. Participants had been provided with the findings from the earlier stages of the strategic outreach engagement in advance, and the discussions focused on four key themes: expertise, outreach, membership and international growth. District webinar: The first webinar brought together representatives from all of CIM’s districts including five district vice-presidents and CIM’s then incoming president, Sean Waller. Society webinar: There was representation from eight of CIM’s 10 societies in the second webinar.
Expertise The discussion generated around expertise encompassed a number of areas including professional development (PD), knowledge exchange and standards development and assessment. The following represent some of the highlights from those discussions and the input from the districts and societies have been amalgamated as there was a lot of overlap. • Improved coordination and collaboration for PD activities and events. • Increased CIM National services and logistical support to allow for more efficient and effective exchange of information. • CIM National should increase its role in the area of setting and developing standards and best practices.
In both of these webinars, discussions focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration and alignment among branches, Societies and the CIM National office. Not surprisingly, the ideas generated tended to be more tactical in nature than those in the earlier stages of engagement.
Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
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Outreach
Membership
Participants discussed various elements of outreach, focusing on public and stakeholder engagement with emphasis on:
Participants provided their perspectives and ideas on how to sustain and grow CIM’s membership and active volunteer base.
Governments:
• Ensure greater recognition of volunteers’ efforts. • Provide letters of recognition for volunteers’ efforts for employers. • Develop a succession plan for volunteer leadership. • Engage more students to volunteer with CIM at all levels. • Improve overall awareness of “all of CIM.” • Improve internal awareness of CIM societies. • Publicize branches’ and societies’ activities more during CIM events.
• Continue to engage with government as the technical voice for mining (not as lobbyists). Students/youth:
• Help support and organize more local events and activities. • Engage students outside of traditional mining fields and from a broader variety of disciplines. Broader public:
• Develop a comprehensive national outreach strategy and resources. • Help improve public perception around mining. Improved communication and interaction across the CIM family (Nationalbranches/societies)
• Help organize and provide support for meetings • Help improve interaction and seek greater alignment and sharing between Branches and Societies
The community has spoken
International Growth Most participants agreed that CIM is well positioned for international growth and provided a range of specific, strategic ideas for working in this area: • Build capacity and provide education and training in other countries. • Provide education and training to stakeholders/members in other countries. • Engage more international students and younger generations. • Seek out possibilities for international branches in financial/ technical hubs. • Demonstrate the value of international growth to membership • Promote the benefits of CIM membership internationally. 12
Deliver and promote high-value networking opportunities
PHASE 4 3 Development of a strategic framework and logic model In late-April a strategic framework and logic model were formulated, generated by the findings from the previous three phases of the strategic outreach initiative. This was done through a series of meetings and workshops that once again involved the team from Hill+Knowlton, as well as the CIM senior management team, the CIM executive committee, and with the assistance of an additional consultant, Paul Hébert of Alexander Proudfoot. Six strategic objectives (along with one operational one) were identified and a logic model structure was formulated that would enable CIM to articulate and prioritize the outcomes (immediate, intermediate and long-term) and activities to be undertaken. Additionally, an overarching goal was identified to “achieve organizational and operational excellence.” This objective was separated from the others as it was anticipated that it would be subject to the development of an operational plan based on the implementation of the strategic plan.
Deliver and enable professional development for individuals and the industry and recognize excellence Deliver and promote high-value Deliver and facilitate relevant, leading-edge knowledge exchange
Support Branches, Societies, and members to excel through increased collaboration
Promote and support Canadian mining excellence internationally
Demonstrate mining’s contribution to society
Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
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• Collaborate with other events/stakeholders • Host and promote a diversity of local and regional events
PHASE 5
• Develop national databases/platforms • Support/mentor new and younger members
Leadership congress
• Recognize/tap into industry leaders
The culmination of the strategic outreach initiative occurred during a workshop held in conjunction with CIM’s inaugural Leadership Congress in advance of the Annual General Meeting. The purpose of this workshop was to provide CIM and industry leaders the opportunity to identify and share ideas about particular activities and actions to advance CIM’s goals.
• Recognize/support efforts of members
Over two rounds of table discussions utilizing a dynamic “open space round table process” the 41 participants (not including table hosts) self-selected to which two of the six strategic goals they wanted to be allocated. Each table discussion was facilitated by a member of the CIM executive or management team. The focus question presented to the participants was: “How do you see yourself and/or your constituents contributing to this goal?”
• Foster greater collaboration within CIM • Increase awareness among CIM members • Focus on succession planning • Publicize branches and societies more during CIM events
Participants were invited to share their ideas along with their names indicating which activities and actions they would be willing to support, contribute to and/or lead.
• Engage other countries/international organizations to promote excellence
While some of the activities and ideas generated did overlap with findings from earlier phases of development, a myriad of new ideas were generated, along with names of people who could be instrumental in the realization and implementation of the activities. The suggestions were numerous; however the tables at right indicate the key themes per goal.
• Expand presence through international events and initiatives
An initial report on the findings from the first five phases of the outreach outlining the six initial objectives and summing up what the constituents were looking for from CIM and the industry was posted on the CIM website.
• Provide support for international branches/chapters
• Explore/develop standards • Define/develop international priorities • Support students/the education sector
Deliver and promote high-value networking opportunities
• Focus more on planning at the CIM national level • Develop/provide more short courses • Develop distance/remote learning options
Deliver and enable professional development for individuals and the industry and recognize excellence
• Tailor opportunities more to the individual
• Inform and engage students and teachers Deliver and facilitate relevant, leading-edge knowledge exchange
• Target outreach to groups not typically part of the mining sector • Develop/promote/use a suite of multimedia tools/materials • Promote greater diversity and engage communities
Support Branches, Societies, and members to excel through increased collaboration
• Focus government relations/outreach on technical content • Define/clarify engagement strategy and objectives
• Improve navigation/functionality of knowledge resources Promote and support Canadian mining excellence internationally
• Leverage a wider range of resources/media • Engage branches, societies and membership more • Further develop/support experts/areas of expertise
Demonstrate mining’s contribution to society
• Increase/focus on non-technical knowledge • Engage students/academia • Focus more on technology development
PHASE 6 In the fall 0f 2014 an additional phase in the strategic project was undertaken. When we began to examine the six objectives through a strategic lens, we realized that we were still looking at our goals very functionally. And while these strategic “buckets” remain very significant, it was felt while they explained WHAT we need to do, they did not go far enough in explaining WHY. Additionally, we recognized that these functional buckets could potentially reinforce the silos of activities that could prevent us from optimizing the interconnectivity of our objectives – something that was critical for moving forward both strategically and operationaly.
VISION A resource sector that is broadly recognized and respected as an engine for sustainable growth and prosperity
This encouraged us to take a step back and refocus our lens up from the grassroots findings – which will continue to be integral to informing what CIM does – to the higher-level strategic view. In the summer of 2014 the four CIM presidents – Sean Waller (CIM president), Robert Schaffer (CIM past president), Garth Kirkham (CIM incoming president) and Virginia Flood (CIM incoming president-elect) – met with CIM executive director Jean Vavrek and the director of communications, publications and media Angela Hamlyn (who had been steering the strategic outreach exercise) in a session facilitated by Meredith Low, a strategic planning consultant who has a lot of expertise in the not-forprofit landscape. During an intense one-day session CIM refreshed its Vision and Mission, and developed four new strategic goals that were more inclusive, cross-functional and forward-looking. These four goals still encompass the scope of the previous six objectives; however, they serve to reinforce the connectivity of our endeavors, and will further buttress CIM’s updated Vision and Mission.
MISSION To champion the world’s best practices and expertise for integrated resource development at home and globally
STRATEGIC GOALS Drawing upon the valuable connections forged throughout our rich 115+ year history and fortified by the critical insights and expertise found in our 10 technical societies and over 35 branches, CIM serves as an important connector and conduit for a community that is as vast and as rich as the industry itself. From exploration and extraction through to production and reclamation, from the rock face to the corporate tower, our constituents are involved in every facet of the mining cycle, and together we are made stronger than the sum of our parts.
The minerals, metals and materials we extract and process are critical building blocks for the very foundation of modern society. By separating fact from fiction and by tapping into and conveying scientifically based knowledge to help educate the public about the essential role our industry plays, CIM helps meet the evolving needs of our communities for a sustainable future and inspires tomorrow’s generations to join our efforts.
CIM strives to challenge and advance the level and quality of knowledge for the betterment of our members, the sector we serve and society at large. Our print and web resources as well as our educational and technical sessions at branch, national and international events facilitate CIM’s efforts to discover, examine and share meaningful insights and drive innovation for the evolution of ideas, which resonates at the very core of our mission.
Mining is a powerful engine for fiscal and social change within and beyond our borders. CIM recognizes that with this influence comes responsibility. By sharing our technical expertise and leveraging our global network to establish new connections and partnerships, CIM plays a leadership role in promoting best practices, encouraging social and environmental responsibility and serving as a channel for social and economic growth.
What’s next In the coming year CIM will be formulating a five-year Strategic Action Plan that will identify our short-, mid- and long- term objectives and outcomes, and determining measures of success. The value of most of CIM’s core activities were validated through each of the phases of outreach. We are already active in, or branching out into, many of the areas people have identified as important, meaning the endeavor will also entail us placing more effort on increasing visibility, fine-tuning our focus and improving support mechanisms. That said, we acknowledge that enhancing the level of engagement with CIM and between its constituents needs to be a strong focus for us collectively going forward. With our sights firmly trained on creating a CIM that will remain relevant far into the future, we are excited and poised to embrace new challenges as we continue to respond to the evolving needs of our members, stakeholders and the industry we serve and live up to our mandate as “The Community for Leading Industry Expertise.”
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Report on the findings from CIM’s strategic outreach initiative
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