Purpose: To provide a process for describing and further assessing propositions, which are “proposals on best practice that have a solid evidence base but remain contested.” Description: The development of propositions has two phases: an initial phase, where “a small group of researchers and practitioners define a set of evidence-based insights and counterview for a […]

Purpose: To demonstrate how games based on models can assist decision making and change on complex problems. Description: This video demonstrates how well-designed games, with skilled facilitation, empower players to make better decisions. When those with power to make change are the players, games can assist in finding innovative ways to make progress on difficult […]

Purpose: To systematically solicit and collate expert judgments on a particular topic, which also provides a structured way for the experts to build on each other’s ideas. Description: Each expert is asked for their judgment on a topic using a questionnaire or interview; this does not require the experts to meet. The responses are collated and summarised and returned to the experts before proceeding with a second round of questions about the topic, often leading to voting on a particular question...

Purpose: Nominal group technique is a special-purpose method for problem solving or idea generation. It taps and combines individual judgments to arrive at decisions that could not be determined by one person. It is not a tool for routine meetings or for negotiating or bargaining. It is not a tool for routine meetings or for negotiating or bargaining. Instead it is a technique for judgmental or creative decision making where there is lack of agreement or an incomplete state of knowledge about either the nature of the problem or about what is required to reach a successful solution.

A useful analytical framework for assessing knowledge co-production consists of the following elements: “typology of actor roles, research phases, objectives and forms of actor integration, and types of knowledge” (see figure below). The framework was used to analyse “what types of actors contributed what kind of knowledge in which research phase” in four transdisciplinary studies […]

Purpose: To provide those helping communities "identify and adopt more sustainable practices" with a range of on-line resources that support "social learning and constructive action in multi-stakeholder settings." Description: The resources are organised under the following categories: Social learning, including systems thinking, building networks and knowledge management; Planning, monitoring and evaluation (PM and E); Collaboration/engagement, including stakeholder mapping and analysis and working across cultures; Supporting change; Research, including participatory action research and managing integration; Sustainable development.

The RAPID Outcome Mapping Approach (ROMA), “comprises a suite of tools that any organisation can use at any stage in their policy engagement process to improve how they diagnose the problem, understand the types of impact their work could have on policy-making, set realistic objectives for policy influence, develop a plan to achieve those objectives, […]

Purpose: To provide an overview of multistakeholder partnership processes, along with 60 tools useful for key aspects of those processes. Description: Working with a range of people and organisations to tackle real-world problems and achieve change is the essence of multistakeholder partnerships. Multistakeholder partnerships coalesce around a shared problem, seek to involve all the key […]

Purpose: To decide on the extent of the stakeholder engagement to be undertaken, taking into account relevant contextual factors. Description: What is meant by the extent of the engagement is outlined first, followed by issues to consider in deciding the extent. Context is one of these issues and is described in a separate section. Extent […]

Purpose: To provide a range of methods useful for stakeholder engagement. Description: Lists are provided, sometimes with brief descriptions, of various methods for stakeholder engagement, grouped into methods for opening out, exploring and deciding, as well as techniques that promote direct or pro-active interactions, involve stakeholders in the research process, increase awareness of the project […]