Putting Step 1 into Practice

Putting Step #1 into Practice

1. Include everyone the decision will affect. This means you need to identify the interests of each person and each group having a stake in the outcome. If you have a question about whether or not to involve someone, err on the side of inclusion. Remember to keep the funnel wide at the start. It's far better to let people drop out of the process if they discover that they won't be affected by the result than to make them into enemies by excluding them in the beginning.

2. Invite anyone who may have useful information. Make a list of those people who have had a similar experience or have knowledge about the issues at hand. Between phone, fax, and e-mail, you can gather data on a virtual basis.

3. Cast your net wider. Invite others to share their insights and perspectives. Some of the best input often comes from unexpected sources. Reassure all participants that you will respect their views.

4. Make sure that those who should be present at a meeting are there. Get key interests involved in identifying participants and making arrangements for the meetings. Build ownership in the process. Sometimes people may be skeptical or reluctant to play a part in the solution process. Talk to them and tell them that their opinions are important and highly regarded. Invite their input—and mean it.

5. Use the Inclusion Checklist. This simple chart will help you enlist everyone who needs to be part of the decision process. (See Figure 6.)

   Inclusion Checklist.
   Participants	Invited	Participating	Other forms of input
   Who needs to make the final decision?
   Who needs to implement it?
   Whom will the decision affect?
   Who may have useful information or ideas?
   Who else might we ask for helpful perspectives?

   
   Figure 6: Inclusion Checklist.

BE AN AGENT OF HOPE

Inclusiveness is one of the first casualties of fear. Include everyone who has a stake in the topic, and reach out to others who may have useful information. The steps and strategies that follow will provide ways to involve them constructively and efficiently.