Which of the following is the appropriate level of engagement for this activity?
- Inform
- Consult
- Involve
- Collaborate
- Empower
The engagement may be a mixture of levels of influence (e.g., mixture of inform, consult, involve and collaborate).
Implementing engagement – IAP2 Model Framework
The International Association of Public Participation Spectrum of Public Participation framework (IAP2) can help to plan, set expectations, and enable more effective engagement among stakeholders.
The further along the spectrum, the more influence and impact the engaged party has on the decision. Higher levels are not necessarily better. Rather, the choice of where on the spectrum one chooses to engage is entirely dependent on the purpose of the engagement and the context.
For example, if the goal of engagement is to gather input and feedback that will feed into an external decision-making process, the appropriate level is likely consult rather than collaborate.
Choosing the appropriate level of engagement and communicating it to participants and other stakeholders will help ensure the engagement is authentic, not merely symbolic. Inauthentic engagement, erodes trust, an important enabler of effective engagement.
It goes without saying that merely saying one is collaborating does not make it so.
IAP2 Guiding Principles
Inform
To provide balanced and objective information and context to assist in understanding challenges, opportunities, or solutions.
“Here are some things you need to understand”
Consult
To obtain, listen and acknowledge input and feedback on alternatives to help inform decisions and tailor activities. (How the feedback and input ultimately influences the decision making is subsequently shared back to the participant)
“This is what we are thinking of doing, do you have any advice? We’ll come back to you later and tell you how and to what extent we used your advice.”
Involve
To work directly with interested and impacted parties to ensure that ideas, concerns and needs are consistently understood and considered
“We will work with you to ensure your concerns and needs are directly reflected in the decisions made”
Collaborate
To partner in each aspect of the decision including the development of alternatives and the identification of the preferred solution. Stakeholders are equal decision makers.
“The decision is jointly ours. We will implement what we jointly decide.”
Empower
To place the final decision-making in the hands of some of the key interested and impacted parties.
“Let’s work together from the very beginning and we’ll incorporate your advice and recommendations to the maximum extent possible.”
Consider
How much time is available for decision making?
In general, the higher up on the engagement spectrum, the more time is required to come to a decision point. While it may be feasible to inform through a single information session, it may be weeks or months for a group of stakeholders to collaborate on important decisions impacting their work.
Quick Tips
Once the appropriate level of engagement has been identified, ensure that adequate time and resources are available to truly fulfill the purpose and congruent level of the engagement.
Resources
The International Association of Public Participation (iap2) has a number of resources available on their website including free webinars and research papers.