Facilitating multi-actor change - Capacity.org

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tools and methodsCompetencies needed to design and facilitate MSPsWhat it takesMinu Hemmatiminu@minuhemmati.netIndependent advisor, London and BerlinMulti-stakeholder processes (MSPs) are playing anincreasingly important role in sustainable development.Designing and facilitating MSPs depends on a set of diversecompetencies.Multi-stakeholder processes (MSPs) areprocesses that aim to bring together allmajor stakeholders in a new form ofcommunication and decision finding (andpossibly decision making) on a particularissue. Multi-stakeholder approaches becamea ‘buzz’ term and the concept was promotedin a number of international processesincluding the UN Global Compact and theWorld Summit on Sustainable Development2002. Since then, donors have amplifiedtheir emphasis on public-private partnershipsand entrepreneurial multi-sector initiatives.Looking back, we can say that theexpectations of these partnerships may havebeen slightly naïve.We have learned – yet again – thatcommunication is challenging, even more sobetween different stakeholders and acrosscultures. Collaboration not only requirescommitment, but also entails genuine readinessfor change, which is quite rare. Creatinginnovative ‘win-win’ situations whereeverybody’s interests are integrated isextremely difficult, and where it is not possible,reaching a compromise can be verycumbersome. Another thing we have learned isthat MSPs take considerable time, effort andresources. Because of this, they need to becomepart of people’s job descriptions and keyperformance indicators in order to allow themto convene, lead, facilitate and participate. Weare also learning that even then, we cannotassume that people have everything it takes toproceed successfully.When we think about the competenciesneeded for designing and facilitating MSPs,many areas of knowledge, skills andexperiences come to mind. These belong to arange of disciplines and professions, andinclude cognitive, emotional and socialabilities. Many can be acquired throughreading and listening, and others largelydepend on practise and experience so thattogether they constitute a combination ofart, science, and skill.This multi-layered, epistemological mix isuncomfortable for some people, at leastinitially, as it can seem eclectic and lacking asolid and consistent theoretical base.However, this set of competencies isgrounded in values, principles and aconstantly growing body of experience.In practice, it is most important to findwhat works, and, in particular, what worksfor each of us as an individual processprofessional. The field is in constantdevelopment, and we need to continuouslylearn from our own experiences, from peers,networks, and from new research in order tofulfil our tasks successfully and responsibly.The following headings introduce some ofthe main competencies necessary fordesigning and facilitating successful MSPs.Understanding the contextWe often hear people debate about whetherfacilitators should be knowledgeable aboutthe issues at hand. If they are, they will haveopinions about the issues, and that cancreate challenges in terms of neutrality inthe process and being trusted by allstakeholders. However, I have not seen awell-designed and facilitated process wherethe facilitator was uninformed about thesystemic context that the MSP was operatingin. Process professionals should at least befamiliar with the main terms, the pros andcons of the problem; the key characteristicsof the relevant stakeholders, such as theirworldviews, interests and theories of change;and the main (power) dynamics in thesystem. The more knowledge we have, themore important it is to demonstrateneutrality by communicating transparentlyabout opinions and how we are keepingthem out of the process.Knowing and developing yourselfSelf-awareness is essential when operating ina multi-stakeholder environment, andfacilitation requires significant levels ofindividual development. Self-awarenessincludes awareness of one’s owncharacteristics and behavioural tendencies,particularly in dialogic situations. It takesaccount of your awareness of how othersreact to you and awareness of your ownassumptions, feelings and blind spots.Self-awareness also involves understandingthat we use ourselves as tools in the process– as tools of perception, diagnosis andintervention. Essentially, we are usingourselves to genuinely connect withparticipants, model authentic communicationand get to know individuals, groups andissues that sometimes deeply affect us.Facilitators often hold the process togetheremotionally by reaching out to each andevery one, showing friendliness, respect,confidence and good humour. As in other,similar professions such as training,teaching, coaching and therapy, the idea ofself-awareness and working with oneself asa tool is grounded in careful reflection,constant establishment and re-establishmentof boundaries and attentiveness to one’s ownlimitations and needs.Individual development is necessary inorder to exemplify the principles of theprocess and evoke trust and trustworthiness,authenticity, flexibility, honesty, goalorientation, a keen sense of justice andexcellent empathy from all participants.Process professionals should have developedthe ability to exercise dialogic corecompetencies such as voicing opinions,listening carefully, respecting the ‘other’ andsuspending judgement. Individualdevelopment also helps us to not be afraid ofconflict, crisis, protests or expressions ofdistrust, and enables us to turn these intoopportunities for reflection and creativeproblem solving.In my experience, these ratherpsychological aspects of the work often getoverlooked. Yet they are essential if MSPsare to succeed – and equally essential inprotecting process professionals fromexhaustion and burnout.Envisioning the processThis refers to the ability to imagine anddesign the whole of the MSP over time,embedded in the systemic context andsubject to dynamics from within and outsidethe system. Envisioning an MSP includes theability to consider whole systems as well associal groups, institutions and structures, theindividuals within them, and all interrelationsbetween such entities.Short- and long-term thinking andplanning, and the ability to communicateand encourage these is vital. Many processprofessionals work with one of the MSPlife-cycle models and they cultivate aprofound understanding of the dialogicapproach as a way to connect andcollaborate with individuals, groups and12 Capacity.org Issue 41 | December 2010
cultures. They move between differentperspectives and world views, exemplifyingrole taking, and understanding the benefits ofconversations that foster sharedunderstanding and allow new solutions to begenerated.Epistemology and theoretical knowledgeEveryone approaches the MSP from theperspective of what is true for them. But, noone, including the facilitator, can claim tohold ‘the truth’. This is a basicepistemological assumption that underpinsMSPs. Our viewpoints depend on ourposition and roles in society. Recognisingthat there are different ‘truths’, held bydifferent stakeholders, can help to buildcommitment to the process, and fosterrespect for one another – not necessarily forour respective opinions but for the fact thatopinions are indeed diverse.In an MSP, the challenge is how to respectevery stakeholder’s truths while creatingintegrated solutions. Facilitators are expectedto design a process towards that goal,proposing plans, methods and agendas.However, the facilitator’s ‘truth’ can, andwill, be questioned. In such cases, facilitatorsneed to be able to share the reasoningunderpinning the process design –explaining why, at times, meetings should beclosed, stakeholders should work in smallgroups first, separate task forces are needed,draft agreements should be discussed line byline, and so on.Models, methods, toolsThese are what we use to put ourunderstanding and design of an MSP intopractice. They include tools that allow quickstakeholder identification and analysis as wellas numerous meeting and documentationformats for different purposes. Facilitationliterature is full of creative ideas, conditionsand goals – and new ones are beingdeveloped all the time. For example, when theobjective is to promote understanding andtransform conflict, tools such as Open Spaceor World Café are particularly useful. Andwhen the aim is to explore future views,Future Search and Scenario Building areuseful instruments.Many process professionals do notemphasise monitoring and evaluation asmuch as they should – methods such asOutcome Mapping are very useful forplanning and monitoring, and engageparticipants in a continuous process ofobservation and meta-communication, whichin itself helps MSPs to succeed.Being able to identify appropriate tools isan essential skill. While individualpreferences and experiences play a role, weshould not limit ourselves to a small set ofmethods. Rather we should choose from thewide range of available methods – inconsultation with a core group ofstakeholders. On the basis that form followsfunction, purpose and desired outcomeshould guide our choice of tools, while theVillagers with their advisers explore the potential impacts of the Narmada dam in India on theirlivelihoodscontext and framework conditions willdictate what can be done.TeamworkAll the competencies described above arenecessary for designing and facilitatingsuccessful MSPs. But does one individualneed to hold all of them, or can a group ofpeople with a combination of thesecompetencies make a successful team? Bysharing tasks, people learn more intenselyfrom each other. I have often observed howstakeholders and experts pick up facilitationmethods and hone their skills during an MSPand by working with a process professional.Creating a core team consisting of thefacilitator, process conveners and mainstakeholders is a way of pooling necessarycompetencies, as well as creating sharedownership within an ‘MSP nucleus’. Creatingand working with such a team requiresanother crucial competency on the processprofessional’s side: the ability to act as partof a team. Facilitators who tend to view theirwork as some kind of magician’sperformance may have difficulties sharingtheir competencies freely and bringing theminto a mix of equally importantcompetencies from other members of theteam. Maybe there is a tinge of narcissism,maybe the desire to remain needed, andindeed paid. Neither is helpful in an MSPnucleus team, and this again highlights theimportance of self-awareness and individualdevelopment.Getting what it takesWhen working with MSPs, attending to thecompetencies described above is a matter ofprofessionalism and quality control. In myexperience, an understanding of theepistemological and theoretical underpinningof the work, along with self-awareness andself-development, are the competencies thatare least developed among the broad andvaried group of sustainable developmentprofessionals engaged in MSPs. Often, the‘big’ issues tend to dwarf the ‘small’ ones –staying on top of issues such as poverty orclimate change seems to demand moreattention than perfecting your observationskills in a dialogic setting, for example.Those working on the ‘outer world’challenges often do not easily relate to the‘inner world’ phenomena. Yet investing thetime and resources in all competencies isnecessary to achieve maximum effectivenessand sustain change. This also has a politicaldimension of ensuring that funders keepproviding resources for MSP design andfacilitation: only successful processes, andlong-term data about success factors, willspeak to this investment in the long run.Yet, opportunities for honing MSP-relatedcompetencies are rare. The goal is not tocreate a more homogenous group of processprofessionals – there is great diversity inMSP facilitation, and that is welcome as itspeaks to a very diverse range of people andcontexts. Supporting these professionals intheir learning and development, however, isan important investment.As we continue learning, researching andevaluating multi-stakeholder processes, Ifavour combining more traditional ways ofstudying with an action learning approach.Practitioners need courses and materials, andthey need peer groups and coaches that helpthem reflect, improve and develop further.
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