Originally published 23 January 2007. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
Focus Groups - among those responsible for organising public participation or consultation, their popularity is beyond question. Along with surveys and questionnaires, they are the most often quoted technique used in the public sector today. But are they always used in the right way or at the right time?
Commercial concerns use Focus Groups to understand customer requirements, to determine their priorities and preferences, and also test reactions to new or re-engineered products. Such market research can be very valuable and the insights obtained are closely guarded competitive secrets. Those who attend are thanked for their trouble, but won’t expect to hear too much after the event.
When Focus Groups are used in the public sector, and form part of a wider consultation, there are other considerations. We are all stakeholders, and if persuaded to take part in a formal dialogue, we will have legitimate expectations. There are three in particular:
? That everyone involved be honestly told the purpose of the exercise, and the policies, programmes or actions which the consultation is intended to influence.
? That the methods employed ensure an inclusive approach. Whereas private firms can segment their markets as much as they like, public policy requires that the whole community’s interests be taken into account. Those invited to a Focus Group should expect that a programme of such events will provide opportunities to hear all the relevant hard-to-reach or seldom heard groups. ? After the Focus Group, participants will expect to receive meaningful feedback. After all, if public money has been spent on eliciting your views on a serious subject, one has a right to hear what’s going to happen.
These expectations make a real difference, and add to the case for the use of trained facilitators. Although there are a variety of less formal discussion group formats that can be useful, the stricter discipline of the professional Focus Group has much to commend it. Who cares if an unrepresentative loudmouth dominates the market-research variety? That new bar of chocolate may only have minority appeal!
But on issues that make a real difference to people’s lives, be it in Town Planning, Urban Re-generation, the Health Service, the Police or any number of other subjects, we owe it to communities to demonstrate rigour in the listening methods we use. If a Focus Group is that method, it should be conducted to best practice standards, and facilitated with skill. That way, we can all have greater confidence in the quality of the output - and this in turn should improve the outcomes.
Trigger points
- Examine the use made of Focus Groups in your organisation. Do they meet best practice standards?
- Watch out for the Institute’s forthcoming Guide to Focus Groups. Written by Barry Creasy, this is an authoritative reference source – available to all members in February 2007
- Consider the Institute’s new Training course – Effective Focus Groups
This is the 77th 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