Embracing a Participatory Process in Group Work
Focusing on the rise of populism in the world today, our time at the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change has consisted of engaging presentations from esteemed faculty, workshops helping media makers to unpack the consequences of their actions as it pertains to understanding populist leaders and groups. One aspect of the day-to-day experience of the Salzburg Academy, however, structures around a type of collaboration that is hard for many people, particularly those who are meeting each other for the first time: group work.
Challenges of Group Work
Working in groups is an essential part of learning how to work on a team, how to enable all voices to be heard, and how to contribute to a project that in the end, will represent the variety of cultures, perspectives, and opinions of those involved in creating it. As a graduate student, bringing students from around the world to participate in problem-based group work with experienced educational leaders seems to be the most ideal scenario for cultivating a collaborative environment that is open-minded and accepting of diverse opinions and beliefs.
But even group work in the beautiful setting of Schloss Leopoldskron, is not without its challenges.
Many times, the unfamiliar nature of new groups, lack of a consistent set of rules for engagement or norms, and even, the impending deadline at which a cohesive and professional project is requested, make it difficult for all group members to participate in an organized and equal manner. And after all, we would not want any of the Academy groups to give in to populism. The following case study highlights one group of Salzburg Academy students who engaged in a participatory process to make decisions about the content, direction, and authorship of various aspects of their “play” on populism.
Solution: A Participatory Process
In a plenary workshop session, Eric Gordon, faculty expert from Emerson College, proposed that in response to “civic conundrums,” like populism, we must rethink the ways we facilitate civic participation.
More specifically, he explained, “civic design begins by inviting participants to define values that matter.”
Participatory processes are specific methods that can be employed in order to garner and enable active participation by all members of a group, especially in a decision-making process. Involving key stakeholders, such as group members, seems straightforward, but is not inherent in many group dynamics. For starters, participatory processes should be:
- Intentional, and set up as a means for achieving a truly collaborative environment for group work.
- Inclusive, by allowing all group members to equally contribute.
- Iterative, in that they are not fixed, but provide space for experimentation and personal inquiry.
Case Study: Participatory Design of a Populism Zine
Putting this methodology into practice, this Salzburg Academy group utilized sticky notes and other materials to map out and design a zine on sports, games, and populism. Unsure of how to start, the group wrote individual ideas on sticky notes for three minutes before sharing with the entire group. Then, similar ideas were grouped together and organized into sections with relevant topic headings. Finally, each group member received four small circle stickers to “vote” for the section of the zine they wanted to work on. This provided the group with a structured, yet participatory way of making decisions quickly and collectively.
While this quick example of a participatory process might not be the solution for all instances of populism in the world (sadly), this example of group work and participatory design is a great way to more concretely understand populism and the ways it affects political groups and organizing around the world.
The quick version:
