Incentives - Participatory Biological Monitoring Guidelines

Stakeholder motivations and concerns—Stakeholders typically anticipate benefits and express concerns about participation, as do individuals. Although both stakeholder groups and individuals share some motivations, we discuss stakeholders and individuals separately because incentives often differ too. The table below lists the major goals and concerns that motivate stakeholder groups with respect to participating in monitoring projects.

Major goals of participation that motivate stakeholder groups		Major concerns with respect to participation on the part of stakeholder groups
§ Stretching limited resources, sharing work, working more effectively.		§ Freedom to complain or object might be co-opted by the collaborative process.
§ Reducing conflict and litigation.		§ Too expensive or time consuming.
§ Influencing policy or management decisions.		§ Risk of failure.
§ Improving land stewardship.		§ Data might lead to unwelcome consequences.
§ Shared accountability and responsibility.		§ Data might not be trusted or used.
§ Simultaneously meeting local and larger scale needs for information.		§ Others might have unrealistic expectations or lack willingness to commit to common action.
§ Ensuring access to a resource for economic or traditional use.		§ Fear that others might sabotage or misuse the process.
§ Community development, capacity building, and employment opportunities.		§ Collaborative decisions might counter vested interests.
§ Market-based incentives.
§ Public education.
§ Ensuring social and economic justice.
§ Improving community relations.

Personal incentives and concerns—Individuals can share the same motivations and concerns as stakeholder groups and still have their own set of incentives or concerns about being involved in a participatory project.

Examples of Personal Incentives		Examples of Personal Concerns
§ Increased ability to influence others or policy.		§ Fear of change.
§ Ensuring access to a commercial resource.		§ Shyness or lack of self-confidence.
§ Contributing to a valuable cause.		§ Lack of time.
§ Improving one’s resume.		§ Being exploited
§ As an extension of one’s job.		§ Lack of training.
§ Contrast to paid work.		§ Exposing one’s ignorance.
§ Testing leadership skills.		§ Embarrassment, appearing foolish, or ridicule.
§ Learning, gaining experience, and acquiring self-confidence.		§ Insufficient support from family, friends, community, or employer.
§ Using knowledge, skills or abilities.		§ Lack of trust in others.
§ A sense of power, success, and personal achievement.		§ Working hard on a project only to see it fail or be ignored.
§ Gaining recognition or impressing others.
§ Affiliation with a project or feeling a part of a team.
§ Expressing concerns or ideas.
§ Exploring job opportunities or testing a career change.
§ Keeping track of what is happening “on the land”.
§ Maintaining family or cultural traditions.
§ Enhancing one’s quality of life.
§ Meeting new people.
§ Setting an example for children.
§ Mutual involvement with family or friends.
§ Getting compensated to visit nice places.
§ Keeping physically active by getting outdoors or enjoying nature.

Finding common ground—Because participants bring such diverse incentives and concerns to the collaborative process, it behooves all involved to understand what is motivating the other participants. In many cases incentives overlap or at least are complimentary. Motivations also can diverge or conflict. For instance, an individual who is motivated by a strong sense of self-importance and a need to demonstrate their worth can intimidate other participants who are shy or hesitant to become involved. Or, for example, a person who is motivated predominantly by the need to find new employment might not be willing to make a long-term commitment to the group. Stakeholders interested in a particular outcome might not be willing to fully participate in an objective group process if they suspect it could result in decisions they consider onerous. Because motivations are so varied, and because they often change, clear understanding of each other’s motivations improves communication and allows collaborators to craft inventive ways to ensure all participants find the project rewarding.

Insuring all benefit—“Win-win” or mutually beneficial outcomes can occur fortuitously, but often require intention and focused effort. The simple process of listing each participant’s incentives, hopes, visions, and concerns, then sharing and discussing them, can go a long ways towards building mutual appreciation, rapport, and understanding. Of course, honesty aids the process. Where incentives are divergent or potentially in conflict, or where serious concerns are expressed, participants might wish to follow a more formal process of reconciliation or remedies. If participants have conflicting motivations and feel disparity in their ability to influence outcomes, the less powerful among the group might need more support or attention to ensure an equitable collaborative process. If the group considers the exercise useful, participants might document explicit understandings of each other’s needs and expected benefits or outcomes. Periodic review of how well expectations are being fulfilled can forestall conflicts or disappointment.

Checklist—

¨ What are the motivations (incentives and concerns) of each stakeholder group?

¨ What are each individual’s motivations for participating (or not) in the project?

¨ To what extent do different stakeholder group’s incentives and concerns overlap, diverge, or conflict?

¨ To what extent do different participant incentives and concerns overlap, diverge, or conflict?

¨ How best can the expectations and incentives of stakeholder groups be fulfilled or rewarded?

¨ How best can the expectations and incentives of participants be fulfilled or rewarded?

¨ How will any explicit understandings or agreements be documented? How often will they be re-evaluated?