Cynthia Carroll, former CEO of Anglo American, talks about sustainable development issues during her tenure

It plays a crucial role and this is widely accepted now. The days where sustainable development was simply seen as a cost with no value have gone. Value means different things to different people. Creating financial value forur shareholders is a given, but we believe this is not incompatible with environmental protection, and delivering broader benefits to our host governments and communities. We are committed to creating long term benefits and, in doing this, considering the social, environmental and economic implications of all our decisions and actions. This requires us to understand the issues that are going to have an impact on our business, such as access to water, energy or retaining talented people, and ensuring we can manage those risks. It also means actively looking for opportunities, the ways that we can really deliver value over and above the traditional benefits we provide to communities where we operate.

You can argue that, by its very nature, mining is not sustainable as we are working with a finite resource; but modern society is dependent on the resources we mine and it is vital that we meet this demand in the most responsible way possible. As a major global mining company, we certainly have no shortage of challenges. For me, personally, the main priorities that stand out are: improving our safety performance; managing our relationships with communities; and responding to the challenge of climate change, which includes securing access to water. I believe that the way we manage these will have a profound influence on the future of our business, which is why we have embedded the principles of sustainable development in everything we do, starting at the top, with our strategy and values, and going right through the organisation to the policies and processes that underpin our work. On a personal level, I have made safety and sustainable development a priority since joining Anglo American. Creating a culture of care and respect is central to how I lead. I believe that building trust and demonstrating responsibility are vital to securing, and maintaining, our licence to operate. And I expect this of our leaders and their teams within the organisation.

Source: Adapted from AngloAmerican 2011 sustainable development report.

Q.2.1

As CEO, Cynthia Carroll was expected to perform a variety of managerial roles. In Henry Mintzberg's research he identified three overlapping, primary roles managers must play. In relation to the extract above, discuss how Cynthia Carroll exhibited the 'Interpersonal role' in an organisation as large and dynamic as Anglo American. (answer includes the three sub-roles of the 'interpersonal role').

Q.2.2

During Carroll's tenure, she implemented a variety of changes to improve the safety of the organisation globally, which resulted in stressful situations for all affected. Based on the brief context above , discuss the sources of managerial stress staff could have experienced at Anglo American.