Backcasting: An innovative approach to conflict management for transformative innovation projects

Environmental issues and sustainability transition are nowadays among the most contentious arenas, as they entail complexity, uncertainty and a multiplicity of different interests and visions. Transformative innovation projects, that attempt to address the key challenges that our society is currently facing, have increased rapidly over the last decade as a solution to wicked problems, including sustainability. Yet, the development of these projects does not occur without difficulties. Transitioning to a more sustainable system is a significantly controversial and conflictual issue, as different actors have diverse perspectives on what sustainability means and how to achieve it. Studies on how to manage conflict in innovative and transformative contexts are scarce and methodologically limited. This paper conceptualises participatory backcasting as a conflict management approach for transformative innovation projects and investigates the key mechanisms through which backcasting supports the management of stakeholder conflicts. The article draws on an intervention research aiming at co-experimenting participatory backcasting with 24 transformative innovation projects engaged in fostering agroecological transition in France. This approach engages project participants in a collective visioning exercise to define the desired future to which the project aims to contribute. The case studies show how backcasting can contribute to 1. underlying conflicts to emerge in a constructive setting, 2. to overcome the stall caused by conflicts in project management, and 3. to create a collaborative plan to reach the desired transformations. This process underlines the value of letting conflict emerge in order to foster a better problematisation and a more cohesive participation. Yet, to achieve such result, backcasting should be supported by a critical approach to facilitation in order to address power asymmetries.