Originally published 5 April 2006. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
There's a real debate about the role that consultation plays in achieving significant social or political change.
Some say that going to consultation is a sure-fire way to slow down progress. Produce a radical idea that challenges existing vested interests, and howls of protest manifest themselves in all kinds of ways - including responses to the consultation. Cynics argue that embarrassing commitments made in the heat of election campaigns can be quietly buried by the deluge of detailed commentary deliberately generated by the formal processes of dialogue.
For those who believe that public opinion and the media follow rather than lead on matters of social change, one can argue that 21st century style consultation would in historic terms been a brake on progress. Debates on such contentious issues as capital punishment, abortion, prostitution, gay rights or current dilemmas surrounding religious, ethnic or linguistic minorities can uncover prejudices which a consultation exercise can easily make manifest - or even magnify. In a more day-to-day context, any Planning Officer will tell you that opponents to a development scheme are far more likely to participate in a consultation than supporters! In short, consultation often acts as a brake.
There is, however another side to this story; on occasions consultation acts as an accelerator! Campaigners lobbying for a cause may struggle to get the attention of the media. But the distillation of general arguments into a reasoned consultation narrative complete with options for discussion can act as a breakthrough. The debate is noticed by those who had not previously been involved and sometimes people wake up to realise that reform they might have thought impossible might be achievable after all. Would smoking in public places have become outlawed in Scotland without the high-profile consultation which preceded it?
From this viewpoint that claims that consultation acts as a major force of public and stakeholder education. Debate broadens the perspective, allows a wider range of voices to be heard, and provides fertile soil for good ideas to take root. In short, consultation accelerates progress and moves people on…..
This tension is rather like looking at a car that has automatic transmission. There are two foot-pedals - an accelerator and a brake. This Topic has presented the arguments for both, but maybe the key to the whole issue lies in looking for that third pedal - the clutch - the one that's there to ensure that the power of the engine is transmitted effectively to the road. This is the one that provides traction!
This is really what governs whether consultation becomes a power for progressive debate or just a delaying tactic. The best forms of traction involve reaching out to more people in a meaningful way, and in serious debate. It means broadening the dialogue and engaging the hard-to-reach or seldom heard. It means getting to the nub of an issue and rising beyond superficial clichés or the re-statement of entrenched established positions.
In the motor car analogy, the effectiveness of manual transmission is that one can metaphorically move up the gears, and carry a debate forward, often in an iterative sequence of consultations as the debate moves on and stakeholders' understanding of issues and options deepen. It means serious investment and a commitment to all the standards of meaningful consultation - but the rewards can be worthwhile. Trigger points
- Have your recent consultations acted as accelerators or brakes?
- Have you consultations dominated by existing vested interests and where greater involvement of the wider community (ie greater social traction) might bring about different results?
- Check out forthcoming Institute Seminars on Engaging the Hard-to-Reach
This is the 57th 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