Beteiligungsplattform Grüne NRW

Between 2013 and 2015, the North Rhine-Westphalian Green Party Association set up an ad hocracy installation to promote a party-political culture of transparency and participation. The use of Adhocracy was decided by the NRW State Board in November 2012 (see press release). On the one hand, the participation platform was used as a collection of ideas and problems in order to define concrete challenges and discuss them together. On the other hand, the platform was used for content work, such as the collaborative preparation of decisions, programmes and concepts. Our task was the conception and adaptation of the platform according to the wishes of the regional association. In addition, continuous further development and support of the platform took place. 

The online platform was not only used in the regional association, but also to improve communication and work in district and local associations, as well as to accompany and support party working groups and working groups. In preparation for the 2014 local elections, an ad hocracy group was set up to set topics and prepare for the election campaign, which enabled the ideas of the members to be incorporated into the campaign planning.

participation process

• Duration: approx. 18 months (mid-2013 to early 2015)
  
• Functions used: Text editing, idea collection/suggestion function
  

effect

With the online platform, one of the largest national associations of the Greens opened up for the direct participation of its thousands of members via the Internet. Especially for concrete occasions, such as the preparation of the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2014, simple members had a direct influence on the organisation of the election campaign of the Green state association. The regional association itself published its conclusions after the online participation platform was discontinued in August 2015 (see press release). The state executive board's conclusion on the one and a half years of online participation is mixed. One of the reasons given for this is that they failed to actively use the platform themselves and to embed it in their political work with the members on a sustainable basis. 
The online platform was not only used in the regional association, but also to improve communication and work in district and local associations, as well as to accompany and support party working groups and working groups. In preparation for the 2014 local elections, an ad hocracy group was set up to set topics and prepare for the election campaign, which enabled the ideas of the members to be incorporated into the campaign planning.