Originally published 20 December 2005. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
Think of an airport …….. There goes the jumbo jet lumbering along the runway, taking 400 passengers to the other side of the world. Next comes the ubiquitous 737 with its load of 150 holiday-makers off to the Mediterranean sun. Last comes a tiny commuter plane with just four people on board – and one of those is the pilot!
All have taken a ‘slot’ on the runway. They have all had to wait their turn, accept the instructions of the control tower and follow the route allocated to them in navigating the airspace.
There’s more. None of those machines can fly without its airworthiness certificate, and technical standards are rightly enforced, even if they differ for different aircraft. Then their staff must be trained and emergency procedures properly implemented. Their licenses must be valid; fuel payments must be bonded …. and so on. Now the rules for consultations may be less developed than for technological behemoths such as planes, ships or even lorries, but the principles are the same. If you ignore some basic rules, you cause damage. Maybe it’s not the same as a plane crash, but to destroy the credibility of an organisation by screwing up a consultation can still cause significant problems.
As standards, however, emerge in the areas of public participation, it is important to recognise that they apply to all consultations – not just the big ones. Once a decision is taken to go ‘formal’ then the rules apply.
So just because there are relatively few stakeholders, or maybe only one dialogue method – we still stick by the rules. The principles of the Consultation Charter (Integrity, Visibility, Accessibility etc. etc.) still apply.
The training may differ – as it does for a small aircraft – but no-one flies an aircraft without a pilot’s licence and, before long, the public will insist that those who seek their opinions are properly equipped to handle the processes involved and to use the data to influence decisions.
We must also remember that stakeholders time is precious, and that consultation fatigue is very real. In other words, those runway slots are really valuable: use them well!
Trigger points
- Adopt standards which you can apply to all consultations – large and small
- Clarify what constitutes a ‘formal’ consultation in your organisation
- Review your training for consultation staff
This is the 43rd 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