Discussion tool to facilitate constructive discussion within expert groups. EcosystemsUrban MethodsPublic participationStakeholder involvement Topicsstakeholder consultationsStakeholdersSustainability Uses of this productWhen employing a systemic approach to tackling sustainability challenges, the complexity of the issues at hand can be overwhelming. Moreover, an integrated approach to strategy building requires the involvement of multi-disciplinary experts and stakeholders from very different backgrounds and disciplines. Especially in academia it is common that knowledge is fragmented into very narrow fields of expertise. The "Strategy Dashboard" is a tool to improve the communication across experts groups in the context of sustainability transitions. Additional informationWHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED? FACILITATORY (PUBLIC) BODIES: strategic planning department; community development department LOCAL TASK FORCE: local or regional authority; community group; professional expert; researcher; business SUITABLE FOR: urban region; (sub-)urban communities MAIN NECESSARY RESOURCES ARE: expert knowledge; local knowledge; community trust; public institutional set-up; personnel time ConstraintsDiscussing action plans or developing strategies with stakeholder or expert groups can be difficult. Meetings can sometimes fail to produce meaningful results and are unconstructive. This is partly due to the inability of experts from different fields to communicate effectively. Indeed, each specialisation comes with a specific vocabulary and mindset, so that the communication between experts from different fields is undermined by misunderstandings or incomprehension. AdvantagesBreaking down complex issues into subthemes can help to uncover certain specific aspects of a challenge and facilitate problem-solving. The Strategy Dashboard helps to structure discussions and to summarise key components into limited but workable blocks that are easily understood by experts from different backgrounds. Most sustainability challenges can be divided into a set of key themes. For instance: "local jobs", "water management", "peri-urban agriculture", etc. Once the scope of a challenge has been defined and key themes have been identified, the themes can be explored in more detail in multi-disciplinary expert group meetings. Within meetings, the Strategy Dashboard guides the group process and provides a clearly structured output that can be fed back into overall strategy development.This tool focuses on social and institutional sustainability. Main outcomes: stakeholder integration, process innovation, community empowerment. LinksTURAS tool webpage Contact detailsTURAS Expert contact: Eva-Maria Stumpp
