We are seeing exciting collaborations among experts across industries, sectors, and value chains to address the complex environmental issues of our time. Choosing the right people to work with is critical to finding the right solutions to complex problems. Engaging with a diverse set of stakeholders in a way that leverages everyone’s expertise and considers their unique perspectives ensures that solutions are holistic and less likely to lead to unanticipated consequences.
To select the right stakeholders, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
What kind of expertise is required to address the challenge?
Choosing the right stakeholders starts with figuring out what knowledge and experience they need to have. Systems and stakeholder mapping can be helpful to get the full context of the issue you’re working on and the different relationships that exist across its ecosystem. Expertise could be:
Technical
Policy
Economic
Social
Broad/ecosystem level understanding of the issue and its context (usually leaders/decision-makers)
On-the-ground implementation experience
Etc.
What level of influence do they need to have (if any)?
In some cases, you may need to choose individuals that influence the space surrounding the challenge. Reasons to include influential stakeholders could be to get buy-in for the solutions/outcomes of the engagement, or to increase the credibility of the group (enabling others to join). Whatever the case may be, it’s important to remember that a solution is only as good as its execution – so make sure to get that buy-in if you need it!
What is the stakeholders’ motivation for participating?
These aren’t always clear, but it is important to try and get a feel for stakeholders’ reasons for contributing their time and expertise. Their motivations will determine how they show up and invest in a solution. Make sure you are all aligned on the goal you are working towards to mitigate the risk of setbacks due to disagreement or misalignment.
Do they have the time and interest to contribute meaningfully and on an ongoing basis?
Depending on the nature of the collaboration, it may be worth exploring stakeholders’ capacity to contribute. If they are executives with very little time to spare, you may not have their full attention or attendance on an ongoing basis. This needs to be considered when forming a group to ensure that expertise is supplemented should stakeholders be unable to make it, or that there are alternative avenues for participation (e.g., written feedback/approval).
Once you’ve selected your stakeholders, consider the following recommendations for engaging them effectively:
1. Choose a facilitator that seeks to be objective and is committed to finding win-win solutions.
Facilitators need to leave their opinions at the door and focus on finding common ground among the group. This can be difficult because facilitators will often have to challenge their own understanding of issues. However, the reason for collaborating is to hear these diverse perspectives and experiences so they should all be valued equally.
The approach needs to be focused on finding win-win solutions, especially for longer term collaborations where continued participation and input is required. This means finding a healthy compromise that everyone in the room can live with and that remains aligned with the end goal.
2. Decide on the goals and objectives of the engagement with the group.
This will be the guidepost for the work you do together going forward. It’s important that goals and objectives are established collaboratively so that people feel connected to them and inspired to work towards them. Creating goals and objectives also helps establish a clear boundary that the group needs to stay within.
Keep in mind that the goals of the engagement are not the same as the goals for addressing the challenge. For example, an engagement goal looks like: “Develop a final report that outlines the state of play and actions businesses can take to decarbonize office buildings.” Alternatively, a goal to address the challenge looks like: “Decarbonize office buildings in Canada by 10% by 2030.” This nuance is important because the group needs to understand the role they will play in addressing the challenge.
3. Observe the group’s dynamics and make sure everyone has space to contribute.
Within any given group you’ll always find some participants eager to speak up, and others that are pensive and quiet. Both have important insight to share, so make sure you are identifying the different characters in the room and moderating the discussion accordingly. Initiating a round table or poking individuals you haven’t heard from can help you get everyone’s thoughts in a discussion.
4. Collect expert insights asynchronously to mitigate groupthink.
In group settings, sometimes we tend to accept a viewpoint and move forward with it even if some members of the group disagree. A helpful way to avoid this from happening is by collecting some insights individually through a survey, written feedback, or one-on-one meetings. This feedback would then be presented to the group anonymously and deliberated.
5. Refer back to the engagement goal and progress made towards it on a regular basis.
For longer-term collaborations, this is especially important because it’s easy to get stuck in the details and lose sight of why you’re all there in the first place. Time is also limited and often voluntary; therefore, having a clear work plan is helpful to ensure you’re making the best use of your time together. Regularly referring back to the goal and reminding participants of the progress that has been made helps stakeholders remain forward-looking and focused on achieving the end goal.
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