Collaborative problem solving tooling the sustainability transition – applications of mutual gains approach from the Netherlands and Finland

The Akordi team supported by our steering group, network partners and some of our alumni gathered to discuss how conflicts related to the green transition can be anticipated and resolved applying the mutual gains approach to negotiation and collaborative problem solving – and how these practices can be scaled up to the national level.

Social acceptability is an essential but often poorly understood and overlooked dimension of the green transition

Lasse Peltonen, Professor of environmental governance and conflict resolution (University of Eastern Finland), presented an overview of the situation in Finland regarding the acceptability of the green transition, as well as recent research findings on administrative court appeals against wind farms and the reasons behind them.

Social acceptability is not just a matter of opinions, but of decisions and actions that have concrete consequences and costs. Explanations and stereotypes that simplify local opposition should be discarded—they do not do justice to the complex realities.

People’s expectations of respectful interaction are often higher than the minimum levels required by legislation. Dissatisfaction with communication and interaction is widespread, and many people feel ignored on a daily basis. We need measures to strengthen acceptability at the level of individual projects and also broader policy-making. It is important to anticipate conflicts before they escalate.

There is much room for improvement in interaction, and the capacity of project initiators and municipalities in particular plays a key role. The quality of processes is crucial for the realization of a fair green transition, participation, and democracy.

 

Integrating the ambitions and interests of stakeholders asks for embracing complexity

Keynote speaker Marc Wesselink (WesselinkVanZijst, Netherlands) illustrated concrete principles of Strategic Stakeholder Engagement (SSE) and the Mutual Gains Approach.

Stakeholder engagement should focus on the continuity of cooperation between the organization and stakeholders in the future (Granted Future) rather than on individual project licenses (Licensed Future). Dialogue should be more based on trust building and less on risk management. The entire organization and its shareholders should work from one vision and one set of values to build a trustworthy relationship with society.

Integrating the goals and interests of stakeholders cannot be achieved by simplifying or limiting the group of participants, but requires embracing complexity and the courage to change the scope of the entire project if necessary. Preparation is crucial in stakeholder engagement, so early dialogue should be prioritized. The practices of strategic stakeholder engagement (SSE) should be embedded throughout the organization and its procedures and policies.

A good example of the strengths of this approach was the expansion of the Port of Rotterdam, where a controversial project was ultimately implemented months ahead of schedule and at a much lower budget than planned through strategic stakeholder engagement and applying the mutual gains approach.

 

After the presentations, we continued our discussion and brainstorming on how to scale these lessons into permanent practices in Finland. The discussion yielded some very good ideas for different forms of cooperation.

Thank you to all participants and our colleagues at WesselinkVanZijst for visiting us – we look forward to continuing our cooperation as we proceed in the work of scaling these practices in Finland over next year!

 

Recordings of the presentations: Lasse Peltonen & Marc Wesselink