Participatory Process Design Guide for Strategic Sustainable Development Tracy Meisterheim, Steven Cretney, Alison Cretney “Te gif of good process is that it allows people to be in learning together. Te gif of content is that it gets work done. When you have these two together, you get good results.” – Toke Paludan Møller, Art of Hosting, Denmark “Tere is a very intimate linkage between intellectual content on one hand, and process and engagement on the other.” – Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt, Te Natural Step, Sweden Contents Five Phases ..........................................7 Dialogue-Based Methodologies ........................ 30 Structuring the Five Phases ............................8 Harvesting Outcomes ................................ 35 Guiding Principles for Process Design ...................9 Guiding Principles for Leading Participatory Processes ... 36 Guidance per Phase .................................. 12 In Conclusion ....................................... 39 Template for Process Design ..........................18 Glossary ............................................ 40 Engagement Phase Expanded ..........................21 Additional Resources ................................ 42 Te Weave was developed by Tracy Meisterheim, (FSSD), Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt, and co-founder process design. We recognize that the language Steven Cretney and Alison Cretney. It is the outcome of the Art of Hosting, Toke Paludan Møller. Our used to describe aspects of Te Weave may not be of our 2011 Masters in Strategic Leadership towards work was recognizing overarching patterns and familiar to all sustainability practitioners. Language Sustainability (MSLS) thesis research at Blekinge synthesizing them into principles and strategic refects the organizational learning and leadership Tekniska Högskola, Sweden. Te fnal thesis, guidance for process design. We gratefully theories and methodologies taught in the MSLS Integrating Participatory Processes in Planning for acknowledge this generously ofered wisdom and programme and embraced by the Art of Hosting Strategic Sustainable Development, is available at ofer it back to the practitioner community as network. Please refer to the glossary for defnitions www.bth.se/msls. prototype Version 1. Full references and citations as necessary. are included in our fnal thesis. Tis guide includes the collective input of twenty Te Weave v1, has not been feld-tested. It is our two sustainability and hosting practitioners from Teories and methodologies of participatory hope that you will be inspired to contribute to around the world, including the founder of the leadership have been integrated with the FSSD, the continued development of this prototype. We Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development creating systematic guidance for strategic planning welcome your input at www.theweave.info. Te Weave v1 published June 2011. Design by www.theforest.ca, cover photo by Tamar Harel. Tis work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Tis means you are allowed to share and adapt, given you attribute the work to the authors and distribute the resulting work only under the same cc licence. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ 4 Te Weave – Foreword Participatory Process Design Guide for Strategic Sustainable Development With the goal of creating transformative change that lasts, Te Weave “It can take more time and patience to work tries to answer the question: what would the ideal engagement look like? It provides guidance for sustainability practitioners wishing to with [dialogue-based methodologies], but more deeply engage people in creating their sustainable future. ultimately, it results in less work due to Te Weave integrates the Framework for Strategic Sustainable stronger commitment and better strategy. Te Development (FSSD), also known as Te Natural Step Framework, sustainability plan does not have to be sold with strategic process design principles and dialogue-based methodologies. Te FSSD is the skeleton that provides the structure later; it leads to more movement and change of planning for sustainability, while the ABCD process provides toward sustainability.” – Pong Leung, TNS Canada a high-level approach for moving through the strategic planning Participatory processes included in Te Weave are used by the stages in a step-wise manner. Art of Hosting network, a global community of practitioners So, how can sustainability practitioners engage people in this using methodologies to engage groups in conversations that matter. process to create transformative change that lasts? Using dialogue- Te methodologies in Te Weave are World Café, Open Space based methodologies is one approach because they were specifcally Technology, Te Circle, and Pro Action Café, Appreciative Inquiry designed to bring about meaningful conversations to engage and Teory U. Expansion of this list is anticipated with ongoing groups of people. Any model of organizational transformation development of this guide. should have dialogue as a central element. Dialogue can create Te Weave provides systematic guidance for designing participatory relationships of trust and transparency, leading to the emergence of strategic planning engagements for sustainable development. new knowledge and shared meaning. Te Weave – Introduction 5 Exploration Exploring the Purpose Commitment Integration Creating a Core Team of People Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice Design Designing the Engagement Engagement Creating the Strategic Plan Process Te practitioner-client relationship broadly encompasses fve overlapping phases, representing an ideal planning process. 6 Te Weave – Five Phases Five Phases Te practitioner-client relationship broadly encompasses fve Trough each phase, aspects of the ABCD strategic planning process overlapping phases: Exploration, Commitment, Design, Engagement are explored on a deeper level, beginning with a high-level assessment and Integration. As the graphic on the previous page suggests, strategic of readiness for sustainability planning during the Exploration phase. planning for sustainability is an inherently iterative process that spirals Subsequent iterations of the ABCD process expand awareness of through each phase as development towards sustainability progresses. the sustainability challenge during the Commitment and Design phases. Te ABCD process then becomes the primary focus in the A focus is carried forward through each successive phase: Purpose, Engagement phase. People, Process, Plan and Practice. In the Exploration phase, the focus is on clarifying the purpose. During the Commitment phase, When the strategic plan is put into practice in the Integration phase, the focus is on developing a core team of people willing to steward those actions generate change which brings with it new information that purpose and building the capacity to do so. Te core team then and new questions. Te iterative nature of strategic planning for designs the engagement process in the Design phase, to carry the sustainability spirals back to the Exploration phase again, seeking a purpose forward. Te focus of the Engagement phase is on creating mandate to continue moving forward, to continue using participatory the strategic plan, using a process designed with the purpose and processes, and to revisit the purpose. With each iteration, clarity and people in mind. In Integration, the focus shifs to putting that plan focus for the sustainability initiative is continually sharpened. into practice. Te phases occur sequentially, building on each Tese fve phases and focus areas create the foundation of the previous phase. Template for Process Design, shown on page 18. Exploration Commitment Design Engagement Integration Exploring the Purpose Creating a Core Team Designing the Creating the Putting the Strategic of People Engagement Process Strategic Plan Plan into Practice Purpose Purpose Purpose Purpose Purpose People People People People Process Process Process Plan Plan Practice Te Weave – Five Phases 7 Structuring the Five Phases Te Template for Process Design (page 18) summarizes guidance people at the right time, planning for the harvest, asking powerful for developing a participatory process for strategic planning for questions and refecting at every step. Tey appear again in the sustainability. Its structure is explained here. Design phase, where they can be used strategically to design the ABCD planning engagement. As shown in the table below, the column headings are the fve phases. Te rows are built from seven strategic design elements that emerged Te other three are used as higher-level design principles. Tese from synthesizing practitioner input. Tese seven are embedded include knowing the boundaries, defning the context before throughout the Template and are described as Guiding Principles choosing a methodology, and weaving the methodologies. for Process Design on the next page. Four are specifcally included to be used strategically at each phase. Tey are: involving the right Te structure of the Template for Process Design includes the fve phases as column headings while the row headings are four of the Guiding Principles for Process Design Phase: Exploration Commitment Design Engagement Integration Exploring the Creating a Core Designing the Creating the Putting the Strategic Purpose Team of People Engagement Process Strategic Plan Plan into Practice Participants: Involve the right people at the right time Harvesting Outcomes: Plan