How We Work (ToP)

We develop, demonstrate and train people in effective approaches to facilitating participation and partnership.

Our approach enables people to actively create, and participate in, the changes that affect them - in their own lives, in their groups, teams and organisations, and in their communities and societies.

The 'Technology of Participation' (ToP)

We specialise in a methodology developed by ICA over its 50 year history working with people, communities and organisations in the UK and worldwide. This is known as the 'Technology of Participation' (ToP).

“In this useful book are a series of techniques applicable to organisations of all sizes and types as they learn to use participation to meet the challenge of change” - Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of “When Giants Learn to Dance” and “The Change Masters” from the foreword to "Winning Through Participation: the group facilitation methods of the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA)".

The Technology of Participation provides a structured approach to facilitation – a system of practical methods that can enable you, as a facilitator, to:

• actively involve all members of a group in decision making
• maximise individuals' commitment and engagement
• build a team spirit that lasts
• achieve consensus
• articulate a shared vision
• make plans that really happen

ToP methods have been featured in publications including

• Involve’s 'People and Participation: how to put citizens at the heart of decision making',
• the New Economics Foundation’s 'Participation Works! 21 techniques of community participation for the 21st century',
• Bunker & Alban’s 'Large Group Interventions: Engaging the Whole System for Rapid Change',
• Holman & Devane’s 'The Change Handbook: the definitive resource on today's best methods for engaging whole systems'.
• Deutsch, Morton and Coleman’s “The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice”
• and many others - see our books and resources
  

ToP is our speciality and informs all of our work. However, in our tailored facilitation work our experienced people use a wide range of methodologies and approaches.

Elements of the ToP approach

ToP comprises two basic group facilitation methods and a system of techniques for planning and organising events. These tools can be combined to design processes that enable people to effectively accomplish a wide variety of tasks.

The basic methods are known as the Focused Conversation method and the Consensus Workshop method. Common applications include the Action Planning method, the Participatory Strategic Planning process, the Historical Scan (or Wall of Wonder), and many more.

Biases & origins of the ToP approach

Compared to other approaches to facilitation, ToP methods are biased toward:

• participation – our approach enables everyone to have a say and influence the decision of the group
• teamwork & collaboration – our approach builds a deep sense of team spirit and achievement
• creativity – our approach brings out new and creative ideas that people never knew they had
• action – our approach ensures that your meetings are not just talk: individuals’ sense of ownership of the group’s decisions means that they are actually implemented
• reflection and learning – our approach enables people to learn more about themselves and each other from the process of working together

Download a 2001 article by Brian Stanfield for ICA Canada,“The Evolution of ICA’s facilitation methods” (pdf)

Find how you can benefit from our public courses and books and resources, or our in-house training and tailored facilitation at your place.

Or, visit the 'facilitation resources' section of our links page for alternative providers of facilitation and facilitation training.