Participatory Approach

In its simplest terms, a participatory approach is one in which everyone who has a stake in the intervention has a voice, either in person or by representation. Staff of the organization that will run it, members of the target population, community officials, interested citizens, and people from involved agencies, schools, and other institutions all should be invited to the table. Everyone's participation should be welcomed and respected, and the process shouldn't be dominated by any individual or group, or by a single point of view.

That's the ideal. The reality may often be quite different. Some people might not want to be involved - they may feel it takes too much time, or they don't have the skills needed. Particular individuals or groups may feel left out and disrespected if they're not invited to participate. The planning process may be a rubber stamp for ideas that have already been developed. Some people's opinions may be listened to more carefully than those of others. In some of these situations, a participatory process can cause as many problems as never involving people at all.

The important thing to remember here is the word participatory. The use of that term implies not just that you'll ask for someone's opinion before you do what you were going to do anyway, but rather that each participant becomes an important contributor to the planning process.

A true participatory approach is one in which everyone's perspective is considered. That doesn't mean that people can't challenge others' assumptions, or argue about what the best strategy might be. It does mean, however, that everyone's thoughts are respected, and it isn't necessarily assumed that the professionals or the well -educated automatically know what's best. Everyone actually gets to participate in the planning process, and has some role in decision-making.

This is an extremely important point. Many low-income or minority individuals and groups feel that they have no voice in the society, that they are not listened to even when they are asked for their opinions. True participation means that everyone has a voice which must be acknowledged.

Acknowledgment also implies having enough respect for another's opinion to argue with it. All too often, low-income or minority members of a planning team or governing board are treated with reverse condescension, as if anything they say must be true and profound. A truly participatory process would include not only everyone being heard, but also everyone thrashing out ideas and goals, and wrestling with new concepts.

In order for this to happen, those with less education and "status" often need extra support, both to learn the process and to believe that their opinions and ideas are important and worth stating. All of this takes time, but the rewards are great.

 

What are the advantages of a participatory planning approach?

1. Participation carries with it feelings of ownership, and builds a strong base for the intervention in the community. If people are integral to the planning of a community intervention, then that intervention will be theirs. They have a stake in it not only as its beneficiaries or staff or sponsors, but as its originators. They'll do what they can to see their work succeed.

2. It ensures that the intervention will have more credibility in all segments of the community because it was planned by a group representing all segments of the community. If people know that others with the same point of view and experience as theirs were instrumental in making the intervention happen, they'll assume that their interests were attended to.

3. Bringing a broader range of people to the planning process provides access to a broader range of perspectives and ideas.

4. A participatory planning approach avoids pitfalls caused by ignorance of the realities of the community or the target population. If, for instance, Muslims are part of the planning process for an intervention in a community which includes many followers of Islam, they'll know that lunch meetings during Ramadan, the Islamic month of daytime fasting, are not likely to work. Long-time community members will know what has failed in the past, and why, and can keep the group from repeating past mistakes.

In an example from business: Magic Johnson, the Hall-of Fame basketball player, owns a string of movie theaters in African-American neighborhoods. In talking to theater managers, he found that drinks - the standard Coke/Sprite/root beer - weren't selling at the concession stands. Johnson immediately ordered that sweeter drinks - orange soda, fruit punch - be added, and concession sales shot up. He knew, from his own experience, that sweeter drinks reminded patrons of the Kool-Aid they had drunk as kids.

 

5. It involves important players from the outset. If the intervention needs the support of a particular individual, or that of a particular agency or group, and they've been part of the planning from the beginning, their cooperation is assured.

6. It can provide an opportunity for often-disenfranchised groups to be heard, and teach the community that they have important things to say.

7. It teaches skills which last far beyond the planning process,and can help to improve the community over the long term. People learn to run meetings, to analyze data, to construct strategic plans - in short, to become community resources and leaders.

8. It can bring together and establish ties among community members who might normally have no contact. Such relationships - between low-income people and business leaders, for instance - are not only supportive of the intervention, but may help to create long-term relationships and break down barriers in the community.

9. A participatory planning process builds trust, both between your organization and the community and among the individuals involved. This trust can serve as a foundation for future community development and community action.

10. A participatory planning process generally reflects the mission and goals of grass roots and community-based organizations. With its underpinnings of collaboration, inclusiveness, and empowerment, a participatory approach embodies the ideals that form the foundations of most grass roots and community-based organizations.

11. It implies respect for everyone in the community, and thus sets a standard for community participation and empowerment that other organizations - and the community at large - may feel compelled to follow.

12. Logically, a participatory planning approach should be effective. The fact that it includes the views and perspectives of everyone affected by the intervention should work to assure that all assets and needs are identified and addressed, and that unintended consequences are minimized.

13. Finally, it does things the way they should be done. It respects everyone's intelligence, values everyone's ideas and experience, and affords everyone a measure of control. By empowering the community, and particularly the target population, rather than just superimposing its own ideas on a social structure that already exists, your organization can give substance to its ideals. In the final analysis, some level of participatory approach is almost always the most ethical way to plan a community intervention.

What are the disadvantages of a participatory planning approach?

Along with its advantages, a participatory planning approach brings some serious disadvantages as well. It's crucial to understand and anticipate these, and to decide when and how a participatory planning approach can work in your situation.

1. A participatory process takes longer. A diverse group always takes longer to make decisions and come to conclusions than does an individual or small group. It could take so long that an opportunity is missed, or that valuable time is lost that could be spent addressing the problem.

2. Members of the target population or the community may not agree with the "experts " about what is needed. This may point out serious flaws in a proposed plan, and acknowledging and addressing those flaws may be difficult. Disagreement may also mean that the target population or community members simply don't have access to the knowledge or expertise to understand why the intervention is in fact a good idea.

Often, the most difficult part of participatory planning is to make sure that the "experts" actually listen to community people and members of the target population and take their ideas seriously. The goal isn't automatic acceptance of those ideas, but serious discussion of them, just as for the ideas of the professionals and policy makers. If the assumption is that only the professionals have something to offer, it doesn't matter who's sitting at the table - the process isn't participatory. It can be difficult, even for an outstanding facilitator, to turn this situation around.

 

3. Lots of education may be needed, both for community members and the organization. Members of the target population and the community may not have important technical knowledge or experience, and may need to understand some theory or past practice in order to see what the organization is trying to do. Some may need new skills in order to participate fully in the planning process. The organization, on the other hand, may need to learn more about local culture, political issues, and community history in order to tailor the intervention to the community and avoid past errors. Education of either or both takes time...and time may not be available.

4. One determined individual can wreck the whole process if he's not handled well. Someone who has a particular axe to grind, or who's convinced that only he knows what's right for the community can make a participatory process very difficult. Handling this situation can take both tact and toughness.

A group of parents interested in placing an elective sex education program in the local high school was opposed by a man whose religious beliefs convinced him that their idea was the work of Satan. The parents invited him to join them. They hoped that, by including him, they could defuse some of his objections and end up with a compromise program that everyone could live with.

The reality was that this man was so determined to undermine the process, and so unwilling to play by the rules of civility or fairness, that he was able to make it impossible for the group to function. Ultimately it fell apart, and the curriculum that was eventually implemented - without a participatory planning process - was so watered down as to be useless.

 

5. It may be difficult to assure that all the right people get to the table. Some key people may simply not want to participate. Factions in the community, a history of failed attempts at communication or at dealing with problems, ignorance of which groups or individuals are important, or just basic mistrust may complicate the task of creating a participatory planning process. Overcoming this barrier, however, can have profound positive consequences in the community over the long term.

6. A participatory planning process takes patience and commitment on everyone's part. People have to maintain their commitment over time, remain civil while discussing issues about which they may have strong feelings, and be willing to compromise. A few misplaced words, or one or a small number of key people losing interest can upset the whole process.

While these disadvantages present potential or real challenges to the success of a participatory planning process, overcoming them may tremendously increase the possibility of designing and carrying out an effective community intervention.