JONATHAN BUCKIDENDROS GROUP
WWW.DENDROS.COM
How to Design Stakeholder Engagement and Participatory
Planning Processes
Think of a participatory process as a natural journey, a natural system
Use your understanding of how people and systems work.
1. Willing
Paying attentionObservingUncovering latent vision
3. Thinking
AnalysisSynthesisStrategyReflectiveMeaning Making
2. Feeling
ExperienceEmotionPoeticAutonomicAssociative
4. Enacting
Carrying out decisionsWorking with othersDoing
How we go through life…
1. We take in life.
2. We have an emotional response.
3. We make meaning, reflect.
4. We do something.
1. Willing
Paying attentionObservingUncovering latent vision
3. Thinking
AnalysisSynthesisStrategyReflectiveMeaning Making
2. Feeling
ExperienceEmotionPoeticAutonomicAssociative
4. Enacting
Carrying out decisionsWorking with othersDoing
How we go through life…
And it goes on and on and on…
Willing Thinking
Willing Thinking
Willing Thinking
Feeling Enacting
Feeling Enacting
Feeling Enacting
Consider Participatory Planning as a Scaled Expression of this pattern.
1. Our System takes on a vision for the future.
2. We sometimes get in our own way.
3. We can make strategies to advance our vision.
4. We will do something.
1. Willing
Project start upDetermine Intended ResultsEnvironmental ScanKindling and Uncovering Latent Vision
3. Thinking
Strategy DevelopmentPolicy Development
2. Feeling
Self-assessmentUnderstanding obstacles
4. Enacting
ImplementationWork Plans
Design for Results that Matter
1. How will our system be different because of our planning process?
2. Pay attention to the whole and the parts.
3. Our intended results aren’t necessarily accomplished in a linear fashion, rather are the end-state we wish to generate through planning.
Willing Results
What new collective will and attention will be generated? What new information will we have?
Thinking Results
What new learning, meaning, significance?
Feeling Results
What will be the collective experience?
Enactive Results
What decisions will we advance into action?
Adjust the phases to accomplish your intended results
1. We take in life.
2. We have an emotional response.
3. We make meaning, reflect.
4. We do something.
1. WillingEnvironmental ScanReview previous documentation
Vision Workshop
3. ThinkingReview current strategies
Strategy Development
Attitudes Survey
Map system dynamics
Charter committees
2. Feeling
Self-assessmentUnderstanding Internal Obstacles
4. Enacting
ImplementationWork Plans
Adjust, Rename, Reformat, Timeline…
1. Project Start Up
2. Assessmen
t
3. Strategy
Development
4.Implementatio
n Plans
Project Start up
Enviro Scan
Vision
Planning Team
ProjectCharter Established
External data review
Lit. review
Planning Team Workshop
Ratified by Leadership
Planning Team Workshop: Obstacles
Review by Leadership
Open house
Stakeholder Survey
Leadership Interviews
Planning Team Strategy Workshop
Work Teams Chartered
Milestones Established
Work Plans Approved by Leadership
May Sept Nov Jan Feb May
Consider Your Stakeholders
Not everyone makes all decisions.
Stakeholders make different kinds of decisions.
Participation and Consensus building often fail when there are unrealized expectations among stakeholders.
Negotiate decision-making and participation up front, as early as possible, to avoid upset and slow downs.
More Friendly Advice…
Consider building your team’s facilitation capacity
Consider using a small Guiding Team to position the project for success. They focus on process, not content.
Over-communicate.Trust your gut; Fake it till you make it.Planning is not rational. It is more art than
science.The result of planning, is not a plan.
JONATHAN BUCKIDENDROS GROUP
WWW.DENDROS.COMWWW.GOODWORKTOOLS.COM
OFFICE: 651 298 1343MOBILE: 651 428 1191413 WACOUTA STREET
SUITE 400ST. PAUL, MN 55101
How to Design Stakeholder Engagement and Participatory
Planning Processes