learningforsustainability.net

Supporting dialogue, collective action and reflection

Participatory model building

Knowledge management (KM)and information technology (IT) both link, and enhance each other in learning-based intititives such as participatory or cooperative model-building. Often one of the best techniques for generating improved thinking at a social level is to use models as an aid to help stakeholders visualise the wider social and bio-physical processes that they cannot see unaided. Many forms of modelling can be used in this way, and underlying methodologies are referred to in different ways such as mediated modeling, conceptual modeling or participatory modeling. Papers that illustrate this close link between information and knowledge management include:

• Cooperative modelling lessons for environmental management This paper by Kristan Cockerill and colleagues shows how environmental practitioners may find cooperative modeling an effective tool to address complex environmental management needs. The overarching lessons derived from these efforts are that teams can never pay too much attention to group dynamics and that the proximity to a “real” management decision does influence the cooperative modeling process. Recommendations to others embarking on a cooperative modeling effort include reviewing the literature regarding previous projects; establishing clear guidelines for team interaction early in the project; and remaining flexible, to allow the project to evolve.



• Companion modeling, conflict resolution, and institution building: sharing irrigation water in the Lingmuteychu Watershed, Bhutan. Companion modeling is a methodology which makes use of multi-agent systems in a participatory way in fields such as sustainable resource management. The objective is to apply simulation tools when dealing with these complex systems in order to understand the institutions and norms that drive the interactions among actors, and consequently between actors and their environment. This Ecology & Society paper by Tayan Raj Gurung, Francois Bousquet and Guy Trebuil shows how this methodology helped resolve a conflict over the sharing of water resources by establishing a concrete agreement and creating an institution for collective watershed management.



• Mediated modeling This site is managed by Marjan van den Belt and colleagues. The site highlights the use of mediated modelling for helping decision-making in situations where problems seem to be intractable and parties are often caught up in confrontational debate. The group point to a number of advantages of using mediated modelling including the involvement of stakeholders in the the model-building process, enabling mental models to be made explicit, examined, and tested, combining the best of consensus building and team learning, and helping participants confront "beliefs" and "facts", and serving as a reality check.



• Why involving people is important: the forgotten part of environmental information system management. This paper by Will Allen and Margaret Kilvington points out that developing information management systems to support decision making on-the-ground cannot take place in isolation of the broader social context within which people generate and utilise information and learn. The technology and hardware components, which are the most visible aspects of such systems, receive most attention from researchers and funders. However, if we want people to use information more effectively to help change the way they look at the world -- and how they go about managing its resources -- then we must pay equal attention to the social aspects of information systems, in particular to ensure that they support learning. This paper outlines the requirements for collaborative learning, by which the differing perspectives of multiple stakeholders are coordinated to manage complex environmental problems. A process for utilising the principles of collaborative learning for developing integrated information systems to support decision making is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the new skills of relationship building, facilitation, and conflict management required by multidisciplinary teams developing such systems. Examples to illustrate how these skills could be used in practice are drawn from case studies in resource management in New Zealand.



• Allen, W.; Bosch, O.; Kilvington, M.; Oliver, J.; Gilbert, M. 2001. Benefits of collaborative learning for environmental management: Applying the Integrated Systems for Knowledge Management approach to support animal pest control. Environmental Management 27(2): 215-223
  In this paper the ISKM (Integrated Systems for Knowledge Management) approach is presented to illustrate how learning-based approaches can be used to help communities develop, apply, and refine technical information within a larger context of shared understanding. Particular attention is paid to the issues that emerge as a result of multiple stakeholder involvement within environmental problem situations. Finally, the potential role for the Internet in supporting and disseminating the experience gained through ongoing adaptive management processes is examined.



• Participatory GIS The SLIM project has been successful in furthering the pioneering use of Computer-aided Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as an aid to social learning. Traditionally GIS is used as a research tool by scientists or by industries, particularly those involved in natural resource management. SLIM researchers, however, have been experimenting with ways of using GIS in different contexts in order to experience for themselves its value as a social learning tool. (SLIM = social learning for the integrated management and sustainable use of water at catchment scale. More lessons on participatory GIS can be found from the iapd site from Giacomo Rambaldi and colleagues and Doug Aberley and Renee Sieber



• Cooperative modelling: building bridges between science and the public - Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Apr 2006. This paper by Kristan Cockerill documents results from post-project interviews designed to identify strengths and weaknesses of cooperative modeling; to determine if and how the model facilitated the planning process; and to solicit advice for others considering model aided planning. Modeling team members revealed that cooperative modeling did facilitate water planning. Interviewees suggested that other groups try to reach consensus on a guiding vision or philosophy for their project and recognize that cooperative modeling is time intensive. The authors also note that using cooperative modeling as a tool to build bridges between science and the public requires consistent communication about both the process and the product.



• Allen, W.J. (2001) Working together for environmental management: the role of information sharing and collaborative learning. PhD (Development Studies), Massey University.
  This thesis represents an inquiry into how an adaptive management ethic and practice that supports the concept of sustainable development can be initiated and implemented in complex, regional or large-scale contexts. An action research inquiry process is used to find improved ways of managing collaborative or multi-stakeholder approaches to environmental management, and to develop an integrated information framework to underpin subsequent decision making.