Your company may have heard that having indigenous partners is a desirable business model, but you do not know where to go or who to call. Perhaps you want to compete for work with an indigenous client, and you have heard rumours about how hard it is to be successful on those projects. In some cases, your project engagements begin with tense or adversarial meetings, as the parties involved do not have a relationship.
As the project progresses, miscommunication and a lack of trust result in insurmountable problems. Finally, the boss starts asking questions about the poor project performance and people try to repair the relationship… but things have gone too far.
We at Bosgoed projects have witnessed contractors and resource companies miscommunicate with Indigenous communities on many occasions. Case in point; a Manitoba First Nation was interviewing companies to act as the construction manager for their school project. The Band viewed this as an important relationship, almost a partnership, that would help them bring more of their people to the construction workforce. After presenting his company’s qualifications, the contractor said, “Well, I know what I have to offer, but what do you have to offer?” The Chief looked up from his notetaking and replied, “You mean, other than the $33M school?” That contractor was viewed as arrogant, condescending and out of touch with the modern aspirations of First Nations. We never saw him again. He had no one to provide him with advice on the community, their background and his tone.
That contractor may have been better than that, and yet he failed because he was in a market that he didn’t fully understand. Advisors can help you avoid these problems.
As WorkFirst is added to your procedures, these advisors could be critical to your project engagement. They can help you with the following.
(1) belief systems/ biases, a lack of knowledge, and
(2) how these things play out on jobs, (i.e. missing non-verbal cues) and lastly,
(3) practical measures which are employed by WorkFirst as a remedy.
Employing WorkFirst as a strategy will work better with the community if you hire/contract an Indigenous advisor. As in any culture, relationships, values and processes will bring success.
Please tell us your stories! When have you have learned valuable lessons in relationships with indigenous communities? We hope you‘ve enjoyed this series. Stay safe, everyone!
Gary and the staff at Bosgoed Projects
