Desmond M. Connor
The traditional, paternalistic mode of decision-making, which follows the sequence of: Decide on a course of action, Announce the decision, and then Defend the decision from the ensuing protests, has been referred to by myself and others as DAD. This handy satirical acronym has proven useful in training workshops and presentations. But how do we alert senior managers to a more positive model of decision-making? Here is an alternative: Profile the community or region so you know the people you need to work with, Educate them about the issues and alternatives already identified, and Participate with them in a process of mutual education and joint problem solving. You can summarize this as PEP e.g. "Add PEP to your planning and decision-making process." Of course, we know that profiling and education are part of a participation program, but the traditional, conservative, senior managers whom you need to convince are usually unaware of this. They need to have the components spelled out. So the acronym PEP might be useful to summarize some essential steps when you are next making a proposal or providing a training session. What do you think? If you have an alternative, send it to me and I'll put it in the December issue of our quarterly newsletter "Constructive Citizen Participation".
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