Managing risks

"Every activity carries risk and working with the public by its very nature is unpredictable. This is partially why participation is being done - to reach something new, something not already known.

Establishing a clear purpose and getting agreement on it within the commissioning body is the single most important stage of an engagement process. Indeed, no participatory process should proceed without it."

People & Participation - Involve, United Kingdom.

Participation costs for community groups

When a community group participates in government decision-making, the group can pay a very high cost in donated time. Also, there are direct costs associated with transport, photocopying, venues, equipment etc.

It may be necessary to refund direct costs arising from the process, or to provide support services to reduce costs. For example, childcare might be needed during meeting times.

Participation costs for government agencies

In the report, Public Consultation and Decision-making in Local Government (1998), the Auditor-General suggested that consultation needs to be seen as an investment - not an expense. Consultation undertaken early in a process may prevent costly mistakes being made on the basis of inadequate information and analysis, or insufficient community support.

Community participation processes require agency time and funding. There are ways, however, to manage these costs.

• Be clear about the outcomes sought and investing time in planning.
• Maintain active relationships and networks so that you can get advice from key groups relatively easily.
• Routinely check details of consultation processes and key results on newzealandgovt.nz to prevent agencies duplicating consultation exercises. Log details of your consultation by emailing the e-govt unit.
• Choose techniques that are appropriate, cost-effective, and reliable.

Other risks when engaging with communities include:

• raising expectations that cannot be met
• creating conflict or damaging relationships
• safeguarding your reputation and avoiding perceptions of 'capture' by certain groups or individuals. 

Managing expectations

Active relationships must be based on a clear understanding of the advantages and limitations of the relationship. Clear, regular communication is required.

When inviting input into government decision-making, you need to make clear:

• any constraints in terms of confidentiality, financial resources and government policy
• the need, in some instances, to weigh the views of one community group against those of other groups, and the implications this may have for decision-making.

Community groups may also feel that government agencies have expectations of them that are unclear or unrealistic.

There is always a risk that you will fail to deliver on promised outcomes. Even where the desired outcomes seem clearly defined from the start, decision-makers may refuse to accept the recommendations or outcomes.

Dealing with conflict in relationships

Participation exercises may highlight unresolved issues between community groups and government. Even if the issues are not directly relevant, they may need to be discussed before a participation exercise can progress.

The 'community' does not speak with one voice. You may need to find ways of helping people hear the viewpoints of others.

It takes time to build trust, and even in good relationships conflict may occur. If there are serious conflicts, consider using an independent facilitator skilled in conflict resolution.

A poorly run process can undermine confidence and damage relationships between all those involved.

Everyone involved in the participation is risking their reputation - from those involved in the planning, to those who participate, through to those willing to abide by the results.

Establishing active relationships with certain groups sometimes leads to accusations of 'capture' by others. It is important that you maintain a balanced perspective and have a good understanding of all the groups involved and their points of view.

One of the challenges of active relationships is to ensure your agency's networks are broad and open to newcomers. Networks must reflect the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the ethnic diversity of New Zealand society.

Maintaining active relationships with diverse groups is the best way to reach the larger community, not just those who regularly submit their views to government. If you are in touch with a wide range of community, voluntary, iwi and Maori representatives, this helps to keep the 'squeaky wheels' in perspective.

The checklists below will help you to manage participatory processes: