Strawman/Papers

STAKEHOLDER LISTENING

An Analysis of Individual SAES Approaches To Stakeholder Listening In the Northeastern Region

By David R. MacKenzie

With Special Appreciation to Bart Hewitt CSREES Partnership Office USDA

September 2000

An Analysis of Individual SAES Approaches to Stakeholder Listening in the Northeastern Region

Introduction

The 1998 AREERA directs the Secretary of Agriculture to use formal rule making to require institutions eligible for formula funding to use stakeholder-based input for making decisions on their allocation of resources to institutional activities. The formal rules for stakeholder listening was subsequently promulgated with considerable freedom for each institutions to set up their own listening processes, and report those process in the institution's Plan of Work.

At the Summer 2000 meeting of the Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NERA) in Basin Harbor, VT the Association's Executive Director was asked to conduct an analysis of the approaches to stakeholder listening described in the region's individual Plans of Work. The intent of the analysis was to determine patterns of approaches, leading to a sharing of regional experiences. Additionally, the Association's Regional Priorities Committee is seeking ways to efficiently look at region-wide stakeholder needs, based on information accumulated within individual states. Thus, a study of stakeholder listening patterns might give suggestions for planning priorities for multi-state research activities.

Process

To conduct the analysis all relevant sections of the region's 14 Plans of Work were requested from the Partnership Office, CSREES, USDA. Some of the Plans were jointly prepared with extension partners, while others were research-only oriented. A few of the uni-functional Plans of Work gave reference to extension's stakeholder listening methods. When possible, these referenced methods were explored as part of this analysis. Thus, this report can be considered as a comprehensive look at stakeholder listening for the NE region.

Results

The types of processes used in the NE region for stakeholder listening range from very formal to quite informal approaches; oftentimes found as a mix of approaches at the same institution. The formal methods often involve a set methodology (see types listed below). Informal approaches to stakeholder listening commonly lacked a methodological basis. A third approach to listening to stakeholders involves incidental collection of their views. This approach is treated separately from the formal and informal approaches.

Formal Approaches:

Four distinct methods are being used for formally listening to stakeholder interests in the NE region. These methods are:

Representative:

Representative entities are being used to gather information from stakeholders. These take the form of Boards (e.g., Board of Overseers, Board of Managers) and Committees (e.g., Advisory Committee; Visitors Committee; Program Committee). It is not possible to clearly distinguish these entities as separate approaches. In fact, they may be different names for essentially the same functions. Nevertheless, formal boards and committees are well represented as a method for stakeholder listening in the NE region.

Another method for formally gathering stakeholder information is the creation of an "agricultural center" (by different names) that serves as a single point of contact for stakeholders and is often governed by a Board or Council of representative stakeholders.

Finally, several stations noted the use of councils as a formal method for stakeholder listening, but few plans noted CARET as a source of stakeholder input. This observation might be explored with NE-AHS.

Contact-based:

Proactively contacting stakeholders is another listening method used for gathering information and attitudes. Some examples include focus groups, study circles, discussion groups, town meetings, statewide and divisional listening sessions, forums, and commodity-based conferences. Each of these was noted in one or more NE Plans of Work as a contact method being used to gather stakeholder information. Distinguishing among these various methods was not possible, based on the information provided. But it seems reasonable to conclude that considerable variation may exist, both in the extent and types of representation and the methods used for facilitation. This aspect might serve as the basis for a regional discussion among SAES directors.

Some Stations are using interviews and consultations to gather information from stakeholders. Others are using agricultural field days as an event to contact stakeholders and gather needs-based information. Finally, some stations are conducting on-site visits to stakeholders to gather information.

Technology-based:
takeholder listening methods using technology tend to rely on communications technologies to gather stakeholder information. Phone surveys (including random "cold calling"), mail-out surveys, and World Wide Web-mediated surveys are some of the methods used in this category of stakeholder listening. [Note: The methodological problems of representational distortions resulting from these survey methods are commonly acknowledged in the Plans of Work, but usually reference is made to this approach as one of several approaches being used.]
Analytically-based:
Analytical approaches usually involve reviews of literature or the analysis of data collected by others (e.g., from commodity groups; trade groups). None of these analytical methods seems to dominate any of the other formal methods used for stakeholder listening.

Informal Approaches:

Some institutions are gathering stakeholder information through informal approaches that lack a defined methodology, but serve to bridge institutions to claimant groups nonetheless. Faculty contacts with producers; faculty participation in meetings of professional associations; and requests from the institution's administration to faculty for their suggestions for stakeholder contacts (sometimes for creating mailing lists) are some of the informal approaches being used.

"Lunch with the dean" is also listed as an informal approach to gathering stakeholder information.

Monitoring of media (e.g., press, TV, radio) interviews with faculty is another informal approach for gathering stakeholder interests. The assumption here is, presumably the press will be interested in the readers'/viewers' interests, and thus indirectly reveal the stakeholders needs.

Incidental:

Some Plans of Work state that stakeholder information will be derived from incidental contacts made through normal interactions with extension partners. Others will seek to gather stakeholder information through "networking" with organized societies, commodity groups, government agencies, and common interest groups such as "women in agriculture". References to these incidental contacts mention service on their boards, speakers at their meetings, and similar incidental contacts.

Other Plans of Work mention incidental contacts at: institution-sponsored field days; demonstration trials; and on-farm research activities. The collection of such information through these contacts seems to be primarily serendipitous.

Suggested Follow-up

It is proposed that the following actions could build on the opportunity to benefit from the stakeholder listening activities of others:

Finally, it is proposed that time for discussion of opportunities for regional coordination of state-based stakeholder listening activities be placed on the agenda of a future NERA meeting.

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