The Participatory Society Thesis

That the Twentieth Century was an era of profound social, economic, and political transformation is now easily recognizable. What is not so apparent are the changes that are still rapidly occurring. One of the most important still-undergoing revolutions is the increasing call for participation by stakeholders in key decision-making processes throughout the business, government and not-for-profit sectors. A Participatory Society is on the horizon.

In the cultural sphere, people now create and publish their own books, movies and music, they customize orders on most restaurant meals, and blogging and other forms of "targeted media" have replaced mass media on the Internet and other forms of computer-mediated communications. In the world of business, shareholder revolts have skyrocketed, stock ownership has steadily increased, organizational structures have flattened, and corporate democracy is beginning to take hold. In the civil society sector, participatory evaluation techniques have gained in popularity, the push for greater accountability has led grantmakers and donors to have a greater say in program management and outcomes, and the Guidestar web site allows anyone easily accessible financial information on most mid- and large-sized charitable organizations throughout the country. In government, sunshine laws, devolution of power, shared decision-making, and citizen satisfaction surveys are becoming ever more commonplace. And in the realm of politics, key elements of "direct democracy," including citizen ballot initiatives, recalls, all-mail ballots, open primaries, campaign contribution limits, and supermajority and voter-approval rules for tax increases have all become increasingly popular.

What is behind this push for participation? A confluence of structural changes—technological, economic, cultural, and socio-demographic—have over the past several decades been setting the stage for this transformation. Instead of arriving in a steady drip, social change tends to come in waves, especially when the growing de-alignment between underlying structural conditions and extant social, political and organizational realities forces a "structural adjustment" that brings the two back into alignment. I contend that we are on the verge of just such a re-alignment now—one that will usher in a Participatory Society.

Both the growing demand for participation and the ever-increasing amount of actual participatory processes will transform predominant social, political, and organizational structures. The challenges for anyone in a position of power in public, private, and nonprofit organizations will be significant. It will be necessary to devolve decision-making authority to a broader and broader group of stakeholders—the "organizational selectorate" will effectively widen and deepen. In the end, just as the Twentieth Century saw government and society change to incorporate a mobilized populace, the Twenty-First will see it adapt to a participatory populace.

On this site I will provide an overview of the meaning and causes of this transformation and its implications generally for society as a whole and specifically for the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Though these sectors will be improved through this broadening and deepening of the selectorate, a critical challenge for higher education will be to prepare graduates to manage in this participatory environment.