PARTICIPATION MANIFESTO
Why a manifesto?
People have been gathering to decide on things that will impact their existences since the beginning of humankind. This still happens at the level of families and friends, organisations and the broader society. While the history of participation is an old one, changes in the past years open new doors to participatory processes.
We believe that the preconditions for change that contribute to a sustainable future for humankind are well-functioning teams that collaborate deeply. And for that we need resilient, open, and curious individuals.
For thriving societies to be able to tackle the world's biggest challenges.
For teams and organisations to engage in fruitful collaboration spaces.
For us as individuals to make decisions on what pertains us and our lives.
A note on wording
Participation [noun]: the action of taking part in something.
In some circles, participation means engaging in civic life. In our perspective this concept is too limited. Participation, collaboration, cooperation, engagement … All these words have different meanings that we want to do justice to, and they all boil down to this:
Coming together to create an outcome that is greater than the sum of the people in a given space.
We need spaces in which individuals can be brave together. Spaces in which they can participate creatively to find the best solutions to big problems.
PARTICIPATION MANIFESTO
Participation requires individuals who participate.
The first step for any participation process is to have the individuals who are willing to be part of it. These people join the space with their knowledge, ideas, concepts, feelings, norms. They might also have existing group dynamics, or otherwise they will create them as soon as they step into the room.
Participation uses the strength of networks and systems.
Once the people start interacting, connections start to be made. Individuals, ideas, concepts… they all form a complex network of interrelated elements in a system. The interactions among these nourish the emergence of new outcomes.
Participation requires real, deep decentralisation.
In participatory processes, we need to trust the people and their doing. We need to trust decentralisation of power and let go of control. Scary, right? But the outcomes are worth it. We can leverage collective intelligence if people feel safely heard and appreciated.
Participation needs diversity, and viceversa.
Collaboration makes ideas blossom, so the more diverse the people who engage are, the richer the outcome will be. Diverse not only in gender, skin colour and background, but also in ways of thinking and of dealing with challenges. On the other side, to foster diversity we need people to engage, to participate, to take the bull by its’ horns. It's a two way road.
Participation can grow organically and is fostered by context.
In forests, trees grow and cross-nurture from each other. There is not one big mastermind controlling its evolution. When people who participate are open and curious, and drop the “Let me explain you this” mentality, we cross-nurture each others’ thoughts. Drop the ego-, go eco-thinking. This in turn allows others to stay open and curious.
Participation requires taking ownership.
When people feel included to a participatory process, they sense an open invitation to be brave. Being brave means stepping out of one's own comfort zone into a learning zone. Brave people take ownership of themselves, their ideas and their reactions. When people feel ownership, they take responsibility and can deeply commit to an outcome.
Participation takes more time…
Participation requires more time than top-down processes, because the more people participate, the more complex a construct gets. It adds complexity, and it forces to think beyond our boundaries. It can be a tough balance between speed and inclusion.
… but it yields best results.
People who are heard and work together well bring us forward as a society. We need to make voices heard. Ethically, because inclusion is a value in itself. And because it yields the best and most long-lasting results for everyone involved. Different perspectives bring an old object into new light, giving new insights on how to understand and how to solve a problem.
