Manager`s views of public involvement

Technical Report · Fri Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:125935

Branch, K M; Heerwagen, J ^[1]; Bradbury, J ^[2]

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1. Battelle Seattle Research Center, Seattle, WA (United States)
2. Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Washington, DC (United States)

Four issues commonly form the framework for debates about the acceptability of proposed projects or technologies--the substantive decision or technological choice; the treatment of the community by the proponent organization; the way the decision-making process has been structured and managed; and the status of institutional safeguards and protection. One of the clear messages of cultural theory is that differences in perspectives are a normal and inevitable part of society, and that attempts to resolve differences by persuasion are not likely to work. These findings are useful when considering the goals and possibilities of public involvement as a decision-making tool, and when designing or evaluating public involvement training programs for managers. The research reported here examines the viewpoints and concerns of managers and decision-makers about the four issues identified above, with particular emphasis on their perspectives and concerns about opening decision-making processes to the public and about managers` roles and responsibilities for structuring and managing open decision-making processes. Implications of these findings for public involvement training for managers is also discussed. The data presented in this paper were obtained from face-to-face interviews with managers and decision-makers with experience managing a variety of hazardous waste management decision-making processes. We conducted these interviews in the course of four separate research projects: needs assessments to support the design and development of a public involvement training program for managers; a study of community residents` and managers` perspectives on the chemical stockpile disposal program; an evaluation of the effectiveness of public involvement training for managers in the Department of Energy; and a study to develop indicators of the benefits and costs of public involvement.

• Research Organization: National Association of Environmental Professionals, Washington, DC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 125935
• Report Number(s): CONF-9506115--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
ATTITUDES
DECISION MAKING
EVALUATION
PERSONNEL
PUBLIC OPINION
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
US DOE