Originally published 20 December 2005. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
Harold Macmillan is quoted as saying “Events … dear boy …”, when asked about the most challenging aspect of being Prime Minister.
The same could be said by many consultors, when asked why the output of a consultation exercise ultimately failed to influence a key decision or policy.
Maybe it’s Murphy’s law, or just serendipity, but it is remarkable how often a consultation is carried out in good faith, only for unforeseen developments to undermine its base assumptions, and render the views obtained in the exercise irrelevant. But sometimes these developments are not altogether unexpected. On occasions – and with hindsight – it can be seen that important changes were predicted, but the consultation continued anyway. Maybe there was a box that needed to be ticked?
The problem for many public bodies is that they exist in a highly complex, bureaucratically inter-dependent world, where the decisions of one body impact upon another, creating a domino effect that can trigger consequences for services delivery at several stages removed.
Organisations inevitably pursue their own agendas, and if a consultation seems required for a particular decision, it goes ahead - sometimes in spite of a known risk that other imminent initiatives may invalidate parts of the narrative, or render stakeholders’ views obsolete.
The consequences for consultees’ morale are obvious. Participating in an exercise which is subsequently ignored is just as dispiriting whether it is caused by mismanagement, neglect or intervening events.
Is there a solution? Not entirely, but the Institute advises, as part of consultation planning, asking the question:- Do we know of any pending decision, proposal, review or re-organisation that could affect the issue to be raised in the forthcoming consultation?
If the answer is Yes, then the relevant potential developments must be covered in the consultation narrative, so that consultees can make a judgement as to whether or not to respond, knowing the uncertainty factor, and understanding what might change.
If the answer is No, there is even less excuse to ignore what consultees say!
Trigger points
- Incorporate the Unexpected events question into your consultation planning
- Identify organisations that could have an impact upon you and talk to them in the pre-consultation phase
- Consider the Institute’s Consultation Before & After masterclass – held soon in London, Edinburgh and Manchester
This is the 45th Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement