Icitrap—an experiential training exercise for examining participatory approaches to project management

Abstract

SUMMARYIcitrap is a¯exible workshop-based training exercise that has been developed to examine and evaluate participatory approaches in project management. This article outlines the background and rationale for the commissioning of the Icitrap exercise and then describes the development and testing methodology used. The experiential nature of the exercise is the key to the ful®lment of its stated aim, which is to foster an understanding of participatory approaches towards project management by drawing out common problems, principles and points for action. Details of the ®nalized experiential training package, available in text-based and electronic formats, are presented. Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.The early project process is dominated by engineers and economists, and preoccupations with infrastructure, budgets, schedules and quanti®cation. The way professionals and organisations think and operate biases the process against poor people. A new professionalism and a new paradigm start with people rather than things, and adaptive processes rather than with blueprints (Chambers, 1993).We will encourage participatory approaches which take into account the views and needs of the poor, and which tackle disparities between women and men throughout society (Department for International Development, 1997).

Managing in the Regulatory Thicket: Regulation Legitimacy and Expertise

“…Numerous public management studies also suggest that shared decision making (and related concepts of collaborative, distributed, or participatory management) can improve performance by improving job satisfaction, promoting efficiency, and reducing conflict and ambiguity (Brewer and Selden 2000 ;Dearden et al 1999 ;Gronn 2008 ;Harris 2008 ;Kim 2002 ;Oshagbemi and Gill 2003 ;Raelin 2012 ). In health care, shared decision making was found to enable service improvements and staff engagement (Rondeau and Wagar 2001 ;Tomlinson 2012 ).…”

The Economics of Common Pool Resources

“…Participatory approaches to natural resource management have received much attention following the Rio Earth Summit, which established that resource users have the greatest stake in the sustainability of resources and institutions (World Bank 1996;Dearden, Carter, Kowalski, and Surridge 1999;Agrawal 2001). Governments in more than 50 countries have already ceded some control over resources to local users (Agrawal 2000).…”

Can we make development training developmental?

“…Action in learning is achieved when learners retain responsibility for the consequences of deciding things they are not sure aboutÐthe same as happens when they work as development practitioners. This responsibility for existential choices is largely absent in our training, and while attempts to structure the provision of decision taking through participation simulations (see Dearden et al, 1999) are commendable, it is right to be clear about the conceptual distinction between active learning and action learning. Action is justi®ed not simply to engender participation which can lead to involvement and ownership and even commitmentÐdesirable as these conditions can be for sustainable implementation.…”