Because CE is a social exercise, there is potential for conflict and tensions. It is important to know that some conflict can be expected, especially if there is wide-ranging discussion about a contentious issue. If managed appropriately, these tensions can help to shed new light on an issue and present new solutions to a problem.
Some of the tensions that can arise include:
- Who is controlling the process – the organization or the community?
- How do priorities get chosen?
- Who gets chosen and who is left out?
- Individual interests vs. community interests
- Transparency (of process) vs. privacy (to express individual opinions)
- Consistency vs. flexibility of process
- Does everyone have an equal voice? Who has power and influence in the process?
- Unanimity vs. diversity
- Addressing community strengths vs. focussing on weaknesses
A full discussion about these tensions can be found in Section 4 of the Health Planners’ Toolkit, Ministry of Health and Long Term Care »
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