In today’s business environment, management consulting firms must be ready to address client challenges and needs that will transform their business by 10 or 100 times.  Tools and methods must be scaled up to ensure applicability to the widest possible audience globally.

The Consulting Workshop Series provides a good understanding of the 10 methods of conducting Workshops that are custom designed to fit specific workshop objectives.  Different methods are developed for the purpose of providing organizations the most appropriate tool necessary to support organizations to achieve their strategic goals and targets.

If it is the management’s goal to solicit informed input for policy decisions, then the Citizens Jury is the most appropriate method to undertake.

 Understanding the Citizens Jury Method

The Citizens Jury is one of the methods in the Consulting Workshop Series that derives a decision that is representative of average citizens who has been well informed on the issue.  It is most applicable when one or more alternatives to a problem need to be selected the various competing interests are arbitrated.

The Citizens Jury can lead to concrete action when this is directly linked to a decision making process.

The Citizens Jury Approach

 Making the necessary preparation is the initial step towards organizing a Citizens Jury. While it may not be the main event, it is most critical as it contributes highly to the successful conduct of the event.

1. Preparation. The Preparation phase sets the groundwork for the effective conduct of the Citizens Jury Event. Each step in the Preparation is essential, extensive it may be. The Preparation includes recruitment of personnel and setting the tasks, jury selection, juror recruitment, establishing the charge, developing the agenda and selecting and recruiting the expert witnesses.
2. Citizens Jury Event. This is the very core of the over-all undertaking – the Citizens Jury Event. It is the main event where deliberation and people’s participation in policy decision are undertaken. Facilitated by 2 moderators, the event is done in 3 stages – the Introductory Day, the Hearing Days, and the Deliberation. The Deliberation is the heart of the Citizens Jury Model.
3. Follow-up. The Follow-up is the final phase of the Citizens Jury. It focuses on measuring the results of the event. It also ensures proper documentation and dissemination of the final output. This includes the evaluations, the final news conference, the debriefing, and the dissemination of the final report.

The preparation of the Citizens Jury is extensive. To ensure a systematic flow of the Citizens Jury, timelines are essential.  Timelines begin after a contract or agreement has been signed and funded for the conduct of the Citizens Jury. Being able to select the appropriate timeline in structuring the Citizens Jury can contribute much to its successful conduct.

Interested in gaining more understanding of the Citizens Jury? You can learn more and download an editable PowerPoint about Consulting Workshop Series: Citizens Jury here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

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