Facilitation of Stakeholder Dialogues and Public Participation

What is a facilitated stakeholder dialogue?

A stakeholder dialogue is a discussion process steered by a facilitator together with your stakeholders in order to arrive at a shared understanding of a question that is important to you. The situation itself and the interests of the stakeholders are not clear to you at the moment. This uncertainty, which in organizational science is described by the acronym VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous), is to be dispelled through the dialogue. The stakeholder approach was originally developed for businesses as a counter-model to the shareholder approach that used to prevail. Instead of relying on quick profit, the company relies on a lasting relationship with its suppliers and customers, to whom it gives a say in the development of its corporate strategy in return. Nowadays the stakeholder approach is also extended to other organizations such as municipalities and public authorities and is broadened to include the aspects of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. A long-term shared relationship between the municipality or authority and its stakeholders is to be built up. The structured and facilitated dialogue required for this follows the Harvard method “from good relationships to good solutions.”

In this context, facilitation refers to the methodically guided support of discussion and decision-making processes. Unlike mediation, the focus is not on settling an already escalated conflict, but on the joint development of strategies or solutions at an early stage, when opinions are still open and common ground is possible. The facilitated process creates transparency about the objectives, it surfaces possible concerns and thus reduces the risk of later legal challenges against a planned project. Such a facilitated dialogue can last from six months up to a year. As a rule, events in various formats take place during this period, from a high-profile opening or closing event with more than 100 participants to workshops of small groups on selected difficult questions. In particular constellations, a dialogue with the stakeholders can also take place following a fundamental political decision, in order to make the political guidelines concrete and workable.

Variants of the stakeholder dialogue are facilitated planning workshops on specific projects in urban development. Public participation under the Baugesetzbuch (Federal Building Code) can likewise be supported by a facilitator according to the principles of the Harvard method.

Which dialogue processes and participation procedures are involved?

• Stakeholder dialogues for the development of municipal guiding concepts and urban-development, mobility, climate-protection and climate-adaptation concepts
• Round tables with municipalities, authorities, associations and citizens on specific planning projects
• Planning workshops with citizens to give concrete shape to urban-development projects
• Facilitation of public citizen participation in urban land-use planning (Bauleitplanung) procedures under the Baugesetzbuch (Federal Building Code)
• Information and discussion events on controversial infrastructure projects

What we offer

We take over for you the conception, preparation and running of participation events, from the small round table with six participants to the public event with a hundred attendees (in cooperation with suitable partners).

• Procedure design: selection of the appropriate participation formats, definition of sequence and schedule
• Preparation: stakeholder analysis, development of information materials, invitation management
• Implementation: facilitation of the events, structuring of the dialogue, handling of opposing positions
• Clarification of the effectiveness and the de facto and political binding effect of results
• Documentation: recording of the contributions and results, evaluation and preparation for the clients

Who is it suitable for?

Facilitation services within the framework of dialogue processes are used above all by municipalities and authorities that want to shape communication with their stakeholders professionally or obtain support with public participation, and that in doing so want to benefit from the neutrality of an external facilitator well versed in the matter. In addition, associations and companies can make use of facilitation services when they need support in preparing participation processes.