Originally published 20 December 2005. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
One of the ironies of the Xmas period is that the most frenetic, congested, over-hyped, commercially-crazed weeks of the year is meant to be imbued with a sustained veneer of bonhomie which we often refer to as seasonal goodwill!
There is little logic, but somehow it seems to work, as few people complain about the fact that they must suffer increased aggression on the High street or longer delays in the car park and simultaneously try to be nicer to everyone they see.
Retailers discovered a long time ago that the muzak they play in shops can influence how their customers behave. The Salvation Army also made this discovery. That’s one reason why their Bands entertain us in the shopping centre at this time of the year. Even the dreadful piped pop carols of the 1980’s are believed by some to alter the surrounding atmosphere and create a rather more benign environment.
Creating the right mood music is important for a whole range of human reactions. Those of us involved in community involvement and consultation initiatives are particularly vulnerable. The best prepared consultations will struggle if the mood music isn’t right, and if the right conditions have not been set for holding a particular debate. Consider that word goodwill. What does it really mean? For the bean-counters it has a precise definition, and means the intangible difference between the true net value of a business and the price that someone is willing to pay. For us, it is equally intangible but of even greater significance. Goodwill arises when consultors and consultees equally share a mutual desire to see a satisfactory outcome from a dialogue. Most, and preferably all parties, enter into discussions with a positive intent, recognising that they will all gain from the process.
This is not to deny the existence of different interests, or the need to use dialogue to clarify those differences so that hard decisions and difficult choices can be made. But there are few consultations where there is no common ground. Where goodwill has been cultivated, conditions are created where such common ground can be most easily identified and built upon.
The biggest problem with the modern Xmas, is that real goodwill (as opposed to a superficial pretend variety) isn’t something you can switch on and switch off as if they were Xmas lights. Sustainable goodwill is an all-year-round condition. Try being beastly to your stakeholders for most of the year and then launching a consultation during which you hope everyone will be nice to one another and be really co-operative!!
Engaging with community groups and citizens calls for skills of relationship-management, consensus-building, conflict-resolution and mediation. But above all it requires a willingness to listen and to understand what they are saying. Maybe that’s the meaning of Goodwill?
Festive greetings to everyone. Trigger points
- Are you prone to seasonal variations in your relationships with stakeholders?
- Would your stakeholders award you prizes or brickbats for your efforts to create the right relationships?
- Have you invested enough in creating the right mood music?
This is the 49th 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