Wal-Mart plays nice with activists

There's a great article in the New York Times today about Wal-Mart making inroads with some of its most active, harsh critics by engaging them as partners. One of the things Richard Edelman has been talking about for years is that when fighting attacks from NGOs, companies can make progress by looking for places where the two sides can come together and actually make improvements. After all, activist groups exist for a reason - to remind you there is another side to every story, and while you can't always satisfy them (nor should you try) major improvements to company policy or culture can be made by working with them. For example, Wal-Mart has improved its labor relations and environmental programs, among other things, by a considerable amount.

No doubt, it took Wal-Mart many mishaps and missteps to get to the point where it is now and it will certainly make many more on its road to build its reputation. It is too early to tell, but the fact that the company is engaging activists on a problem-solving level (and that the activists are actually engaging back) could be the beginning of a solid case study in activist relations.