Partnerships and Power

Dealing with Power, Conflict and Learning in the Facilitation of Multi-stakeholder Processes

Setting the Scene

Program09.0

0

Welcome

09.10

Introduction - power, partnerships and multi-stakeholder processes by Jim Woodhill

09.20

Orientation address: The learning dimension to creative conflict management, by Barbara Gray

10.00

Coffee break

10.30

Insights from experience: Chris Mbileni: reforms in South Africa Doug Henderson: conflict and reform in Cambodia’s forest sector Annemiek Verhallen: knowledge and power in Scheldt delta

11.30

Discussing the major issues and challenges out of orientation address and case studies

12.00

Presentation of afternoon workshops and division of groups

12.15

Lunch

13.30

Round 1 parallel workshops 1. Barbara Gray: Seemingly Irresolvable conflicts – making the

breakthrough2. Chris Mbileni: Effective mediation – Lessons from South Africa3. Janice Jiggins:  experiences from the SLIM  integrated water

management project4. Scott Geller: power conflicts in national forest programmes. 5. Chris Geerling: Local interests and oil exploration: experiences from

Shell in Nigeria6. Ambrose Ong’wen (first round): application of ”Do No Harm”

Planning Framework

14.45

Tea break

15.15

Round 2 workshops (repeat of round 1)

16.30

Forum discussion. Responses to key challenges. Moderated by Niels Röling

17.30

Drinks

Focusing Questions for Today

How to analyse power and conflict dynamics? What are the ethics of facilitator intervention in

situations of unequal power? How to empower marginalized groups so that can

play a more equitable role in MSPs? What role does (experiential) learning play in

mediation and conflict management? What are the strategies for overcoming seemingly

intractable conflicts or power differences? What are the opportunities and the limitations of

the MSP ‘paradigm’ in conflict ridden situations?

Introduction to Partnerships MSPs and

Power

Jim Woodhill

Current Development Discourse

Good Governance

Pro-Poor Growth

Civil Society Partic

ipation

Public Private

PartnershipsPrivatisation

DecentralisationSocially Responsible Entrepreneurship

Sustainable Chain Management (food quality and safety)

Market Access

Participatory Concepts

Process ManagementCommunity / citizen participation

Interactive decision making

Adaptive management

Participatory processesMulti-stakeholder processes

Collaborative management

Public private partnerships

Dialogue

Building social capital

Social learning

Deliberative democracy

Partnerships

What Different groups joining together to achieve

common objectives Why

Inability to act alone Complexity of situations Innovation Efficiency Ethical and normative reasons

Always involve power

Learning

What Reflecting on current/past actions and context in

order to improve future actions Capacity to be adaptive and responsive to

opportunities, changes and crises Considerations

How do power and conflict affect learning? How can we accommodate power and conflict in

the facilitation of learning oriented partnerships and MSPs?

Levels of Learning

Social Learning = facilitated social (institutional) change based on collective learning processes, democratic participation and empowerment

Individual Learning

Organizational / Group Learning

Social Learning

MSPs contribute to MSPs contribute to Social LearningSocial Learning

Multi-stakeholder Processes

A process that brings different stakeholders together with the objective of improving a situation in which there are common or conflicting interests. The emphasis is on participatory and learning-oriented processes of social change.

Characteristics of a ‘MSP’

1. Focused on a situation to improve (“problem”)2. Involves stakeholders with a common (but often

conflicting) interests3. Has a clear process and time frame4. Has agreed rules about cooperation5. Involves stakeholders in learning processes (not

just negotiation)6. Deals consciously with power and conflict 7. Integrates ‘bottom up’ and ‘top down’ approaches 8. Works across different sectors and scales9. Engages with institutional change

Setting UpLearning –

Monitoring and Adapting

(reflect)

Planning Strategically

(plan)

Implementing and Managing

(act)

Process Model for MSP interventions

A Competency Framework for Facilitating MSP

Ensuring supportive

institutions

Developing personal

communication

leadership and

facilitation capacities

Understanding

theoretical foundations

Creating interactive

learning processes

FacilitatiFacilitating MSPsng MSPs