Osallistavan

Osallistavan is a Finnish grammatical form derived from the adjective osallistuva, meaning participatory or involving participants. In this use, osallistavan is the genitive singular form and appears in noun phrases to indicate possession or relation, for example in phrases like osallistuvan suunnittelun periaatteet (the principles of participatory design) or osallistuvan päätöksenteon prosessi (the process of participatory decision-making). The form is not a separate word with a fixed meaning, but a case form of the adjective used to describe related processes, practices, or concepts.

In everyday Finnish, osallistuva describes things that actively involve people in the process or outcome. When it is inflected to the genitive singular as osallistavan, it typically modifies a following noun in a possessive or relational sense. This contrasts with the nominative form osallistuva, which directly modifies a noun in a straightforward attributive position, for example osallistuva suunnittelu (participatory design).

Usage context includes governance, education, research, and design thinking, where participatory approaches are emphasized. Common phrases include osallistuvan suunnittelun periaatteet, osallistuvan tutkimuksen menetelmät (methods of participatory research), and osallistuvan johtamisen mallit (models of participative leadership). The form helps articulate that a concept or practice centers on involving stakeholders or participants.

See also: participatory design, participatory research, stakeholder involvement.