Originally published 20 December 2005. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
We live surrounded by a culture of targets. It is not just the Government; Private Companies have been target-driven for decades, and it is well established that setting clear, measurable goals focuses the minds and actions of Managers. Indeed management gurus insist that the three most important characteristics of Leadership are the ability to articulate an attainable vision, the skill to set appropriate targets, and the ability to motivate staff to meet them.
For many people in the public service today, and for many politicians at local or national level, part of the vision is to create a democracy where citizens and stakeholder organisations are able to influence decisions through a variety of mechanisms. They see the limitations of the ballot-box, and are concerned that low turnouts at elections impacts their legitimacy.
Part of the solution, they argue, is something called active citizenship - now taught in the national curriculum, and intended to motivate the public to take a stronger interest in local affairs and in public polices that affect them. Another buzz-phrase is new localism, with its emphasis on taking decisions down to neighbourhood levels whenever possible. Against this background, it is tempting to view consultations and other forms of public engagement as means to achieve these ends. Let's encourage the maximum possible participation; let's set aggressive targets for involvement! After all, it's time to replace empty village halls with full ones, and to reach out to all those hard-to-reach groups who have previously neglected.
On occasions this could be justified, but consider the disadvantages. Consultation rarely works as a pure numerical plebiscite; this is not Big Brother. What decision-makers need is an insight into people's attitudes and preferences on realistic options - not just an opinion poll. Chasing the quantity of response and the expense of quality could result in learning less, not more; and there are times when the priority is to hear the views of a small number of well-informed stakeholders rather than masses. Given the subtleties of policy consultations, striking the right balance seems unsuited to the blunt instrument of participation targets.
But there is a better way - one that recognises the need to think through the target audience when consultations are at the planning stage. This is to analyse the stakeholder base thoroughly, and to determine which groups or types of stakeholders need to be heard. It is then possible to set minimum targets for the involvement of such key groups. If, during the course of the consultation, it appears that they are not responding or participating, then Managers can take action to provide further encouragement.
Crude participation targets may rarely be appropriate, but minimum levels of inclusion should form an important part in planning for effective public engagements.
Trigger points
- Review what targets are currently set when consultations are planned
- Set minimum participation standards for key groups
- Consider attending the forthcoming Consultation - Before & After training course
This is the 40th 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