In designing a participatory event, it is reasonable to assume that participants will arrive prepared to take action based on what they already know, or to take no action because they believe that change is impossible. Participatory planning and decisionmaking should start by changing this mood.

Interrupting the Normal Mood

The Mozambique Country Implementation Review example used a "white card" exercise to enable participants to get acquainted with each other and break the normal mood of extreme formalism in work relationships. Each participant was given four blank cards and asked to write one important implementation problem on each card. The cards were shuffled and displayed on the floor. The participants picked up any four cards, except their own, and began a discussion with another participant they did not know. As a result the participants had to "engage a stranger" to get something done, an unusual way for a project/programme purpose meeting to take place in that country. Interaction among people who did not normally interact with one another broke the ice and resulted in establishing openness and informality for the participatory workshop. In the Egypt Resource Management example, it was necessary to interrupt the distrustful, "no-action-possible" mood of the Bedouins toward outsiders. The designers achieved this through repeated sessions between themselves and Bedouin action sponsors/beneficiaries in which the action sponsors/beneficiaries did most of the talking and suggesting. A typical participatory session started with the Bedouins drawing maps on the ground with sticks and stones, while the outsiders respectfully watched the process. The outsiders noted what was drawn first, what was drawn disproportionately large, and so on. Maps usually led to transect walks, in which the Bedouins who had drawn the map led the outsiders in exploring spatial differences in the area. The reversal of roles put Bedouins in a leadership position in which their knowledge was valued and sought after.

Creating Common Purpose

In the Colombia Energy example, one-third of the time in the stakeholder workshop was devoted to creating a learning mood. Although the social and power differences among the participating stakeholders were not significant in this example, the potential for conflict among the competing interests in the energy sector was great. So the facilitator designed this phase to bring forth consensus among different stakeholders. He asked participants to envision and design an ideal future for the energy sector without thinking about constraints or setting any timelines for achieving this vision. Some participants expressed their visions orally whereas others chose to portray theirs visually through drawings. Participants were requested by the facilitator to appreciate everyone's contribution without criticism or opposition. It was during this stage that people began to realize that they weren't so far apart in their thinking after all and that nearly everyone wanted the same things for the energy sector in the long run. This unity of vision succeeded in creating a new-albeit temporary-community of people with shared understandings and goals. Motivated by the sense of a common mission, the group was temporarily able to form an effective planning community.

Opening up New Possibilities

Sometimes closed-circle brainstorming sessions can be preceded and improved by exposing individuals or groups to practices of groups elsewhere. The opportunity for the Andhra Pradesh Forestry Department officials in the India Forestry example to visit and see for themselves how forestry projects were being organized in West Bengal opened up a range of possibilities that were not seriously considered earlier. Bank staff and their colleagues possess a great deal of cross-cultural knowledge about what people in other countries or regions are doing to address similar concerns. Sharing this cross-national experience can open up possibilities for future action. The emphasis in the learning phase should be to expose stakeholders to a menu of options instead of limiting the horizon to any single way of doing things.

What Does the Learning Mood Produce?

When participatory techniques shift the normal mood and facilitate new, common learning they succeed in the following: " Sharing information freely and broadly " Drawing on the inherent possibilities of collaboration among stakeholders " Bringing forth consensus (or making it clear that none exists) " Setting the stage for action planning and collaboration that may be able to resolve former conflicts that previously paralyzed common action. Return to top