Facilitating collaboration
Transitions and transformations cannot be achieved by individual organisations. They require collaboration between multiple stakeholders with diverse visions, goals, interests, and areas of influence. Working collaboratively towards transformative change means navigating a complex field of power dynamics. This navigation requires dedicated processes and interventions, supported by facilitation, moderation, and structured dialogue. Creating space for diverse perspectives is crucial for understanding where groups may find common ways forward. At WUR, we bring together diverse stakeholders and facilitate even the most challenging transformation processes. We believe dialogue and co-creation are at the heart of transformative change, in all stages (inception, visioning, implementing actions, assessment/evaluation, scaling up, down, out or closing down).
Facilitating dialogue and partnerships
As impartial facilitators, we help initiate and guide complex conversations, enabling stakeholders to form meaningful partnerships around common goals. Our deep expertise in the agri-food domain allows us to bring together not only the ‘usual suspects’ but also unconventional and often excluded voices in the food system. Depending on the context, these may include youth, women, voices of nature, smallholders, indigenous peoples, artists and ‘the silent middle’. By ensuring the inclusion of diverse perspectives throughout the collaboration, we help create decision-making processes that are more equitable.
Methods and approaches for dialogue
Transformation processes evolve through different phases, each requiring unique dialogue methods. Drawing on our expertise, we tailor these methods to address the context, complexity, scale, and phase of each process. Among our key tools are the Dialogue Navigator and the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Guide, which enable deep reflection and encourage co-creation. Our multi-stakeholder facilitation can take place at locations directly tied to the complex challenges at hand, bringing stakeholders closer to the context. Alternatively, we offer the option to host dialogues or co-creation events at in our dedicated facility Omnia, combining our expertise with a space designed for meaningful conversations.
Co-creation processes
Transitions are inherently complex, marked by uncertainty and feedback loops, making future outcomes difficult to predict. To address these challenges, an adaptive step-by-step approach is essential, where actors collaboratively build a shared understanding of the issues at hand. This process not only deepens insight but also empowers actors to experiment with and co-create solutions that they trust and are committed to. By actively involving those directly impacted, we ensure the process results in practical and actionable outcomes.