Training Civil Servants in Citizen Participation (FR0111)

What is the issue that the commitment will address?

There is currently a severe shortfall in training in facilitation, collective intelligence and citizen participation for French civil servants. High staff turnover is leading to a skills shortage, compromising the long-term future of these innovative methods in government organisations. Moreover, these skillsets do not always get the recognition they deserve and are therefore not embedded in daily work practices. Despite many attempts to promote them, they are often widely dispersed and largely unchannelled, highlighting the urgent need for a common framework for every civil servant. For these practices to be firmly anchored in the civil service, it is also essential to establish and maintain a network of trained civil servants in the long term. These skillsets will be passed on to other staff members and become part of the work culture of government departments.

What is the commitment?

Title: Train civil servants in collective intelligence methods and tools (facilitation and stakeholder coalitions) and in citizen participation with a common training framework shared between government departments

Description: Training is based on incremental learning to allow new facilitators to acquire the skills step by step. For instance, the first course in facilitation is held over two days and provides an introduction to the basic tools and practices. It is available to all civil servants on a voluntary basis. Trainees who use the methods regularly will be able to upskill through one of the additional training courses, e.g. the fundamentals of graphic facilitation tools, facilitation of citizen debate and deliberation, and introduction to co-development. They will also have the opportunity to participate in inspirational events with speakers from civil society, e.g. Démocratie Ouverte, academics, etc., to raise awareness and highlight their different experiences in citizen participation and collective intelligence in various settings. A delegation of trained civil servants could also participate in the Rencontres Européennes de la Participation organised by NGO Décider Ensemble to gain insight into participatory initiatives from across France. The event has been held each year since 2017 for professionals and practitioners involved in citizen participation and consultation in Frenchspeaking countries and around Europe. The network of regional innovation labs coordinated by the DITP could be used to develop regional skills and practices in facilitation, collective intelligence and citizen participation. Reporting to regional préfets, the labs will be expanded in 2024 with additional staff and funding. Public innovation labs aim to encourage civil servants to put forward solutions which are then trialled in pilot programmes. Labs have been set up all over France to help to encourage different public policymakers to collaborate outside of existing governmental silos. Their aim is to draw on initiatives developed by civil servants and/or introduce innovation in government in areas where it is still lacking. Labs also provide a boost to training and cultural transformation by “doing”.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem?

To improve the effectiveness and legitimacy of government processes, civil servants must be given the opportunity to gain skills in using and passing on participatory practices. By providing civil servants with the knowledge needed to embed participatory practices in their tasks, the civil service can bring about lasting cultural change. Not only does this make it easier to better understand citizens’ needs, but it also introduces more agile, innovative and open processes. The government is laying the foundations for a more responsive, effective civil service that is aligned with society’s expectations by encouraging civil servants to make these practices part of their everyday work. Training civil servants in facilitation, collective intelligence and citizen participation, while implementing a network-based organisation in the civil service, is essential for making participatory practices a permanent fixture in government departments. Like the major training initiatives for the green transition and project management, training in all forms of collective intelligence should enable civil servants to use practices such as co-creation workshops and inclusive decision-making processes involving civil society in their work. The training is expected to empower civil servants to innovate in the workplace, becoming “legitimate actors able to participate in the implementation and renewal of the civil service’s activities and goals” (Warin, 1997). A stronger focus on participation should help to build and encourage social cohesion and collective learning (Neveu, 2002). For implementation to be effective and relevant, we must not underestimate the need for the highest standards of design in participatory practices. “To design, facilitate and support complex processes, it is important to access knowledge and professionals who know what they are doing and know how to use the processes properly. Many policies fail because the participatory design process falls short” (Loic Blondiaux, Article on the Vie publique website, La démocratie participative: une réalité mouvante et un mouvement résistible). More broadly, we need to respond to our society’s calls for increased participation and make government services proactive drivers of innovation in participation. This commitment makes a significant contribution to achieving this goal, training our civil servants in participatory practices in our government departments.

Why is this commitment relevant to OGP values?

This commitment meets the OGP’s participation standards, which are based on the idea that collaboration between government and citizens can deliver policy that is more effective, more inclusive and more aligned with society’s actual needs. Co-creation and consultation processes promote a more open government and build trust between citizens and their governments. The French civil service must acquire the necessary skills to implement these processes. Training a large number of civil servants will make participatory practices widespread in government departments. Once trained, civil servants will be able to embed inclusivity into their projects and activities. In the medium and long term, training civil servants in collective intelligence methods will lead to more transparent, more responsible and more collaborative governance.

What are the expected impacts?

• A large number of civil servants trained (500 per year) through the DITP reference framework

• The resources and tools produced by the French government and civil society stakeholders will go into a shared document database

Milestones

• Regular training sessions in facilitation (one per quarter)

• Facilitation training for trainers: Train civil servants in running training sessions in their government departments and pass on methods

• Facilitating a network with civil society: Introductory sessions about participatory innovation practices in conjunction with civil society stakeholders