Edward Andersson, Deputy Director of Involve, reflects on where engagement is heading in a time of Localism and Austerity, looks at creative methods of engagement and gives advice on when and how they should be used. A recording of the presentation can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Ej3NbCjes

1. Where next for Engagement?
–Localism and Austerity
Picture CCBy: nesquivel
Edward Andersson, Involve
Webinar 17 February 2012

2. What we will talk about
• Engagement in the present
• Current challenges
• Engagement in the future
• Some examples
• Recommendations

4. Creative Councils:
• NESTA Challenge Prize supporting 17 Councils
• Focus on radical innovations to solve problems
• Tackling issues such as ageing society, sustainable
growth and increasing demand on services
• 2 year programme
• Tools and lessons will be shared with other councils

5. Community Engagement Webinars
• Part of Creative Councils support
• Online webinars focussing on different
aspects of local community engagement
• Every two weeks on a Friday Lunchtime
• Runs February to April
• Free and open to anyone to attend
• Recordings of past webinars will be posted
online

6. About
• Registered Charity (nr. 1130568)
• Focus: Public and stakeholder engagement
• Works with: Central & local government.
Health organisations, NGOs and International
Organisations
• www.involve.org.uk

8. Engagement today
Picture CC: Some rights reserved PIC1068506062.jpg By: ppdigital

9. Drivers for Engagement
• Structures out of date
• Public expectations different
• Legitimacy harder to acquire
• Co-produced problems

10. What do you think
engagement today is
like?

11. 3 problems with Engagement
1. Narrow band of people/methods
2. Late in day
3. Institutionally focused

12. Empowerment vs Big Society?
Community Empowerment Big Society
‘’the giving of confidence, “Central government need
skills and power to to focus on doing the things
communities to shape and that only government can
influence what public do (…) – at the most local,
bodies do for or with them.” most individual level –
people [should] both
(Source: An Action Plan for identify and solve problems
Community Empowerment, in the way that they wish to
2007) solve them”.
Dame Helen Ghosh

13. Trends in engagement
1. Fewer resources
2. Increased conflict
3. From decision making to delivery

14. Dealing with conflict
1. Cuts
2. Litigation
3. Intra-community conflict

15. Current Engagement
Lots of activity (but limited
methods):
–Written consultation
–Public meeting
–Satisfaction surveys
–Questionnaires

16. Understanding Engagement
Process /
Purpose Context People Outcome
Structure
Why Where Who What
How
Process/
Structure
How

17. The Future
Picture CC: autosaoon05_001_069.jpg By: dantada

18. The perils of foresight:
"The flying machine which will really
fly might be evolved by the
combined and continuous efforts of
mathematicians and mechanicians in
from one million to 10 million years.“
New York Times, October 1903

19. What about technology?
Picture CC: img-10114.jpg By: ppdigital

20. Sending message across Atlantic
Year Time taken
1812 3 weeks
1865 11 days
1866 1 minute
Today 0.1 second

21. Cost to reproduce a book
Year Means Cost
1011 Scribe ~ $17,000
1511 Printing ~$57
press
2011 Electronic ~$0.01
copy
http://cybertiggyr.com/new-age-copyright/index.html

23. “The world is poised on the cusp of an
economic and cultural shift as dramatic
as that of the Industrial Revolution.”
Steven Levy
“The Internet is a telephone system
that's gotten uppity.”
Clifford Stoll

24. Principles for online engagement
http://www.institute.nhs.uk/building_capability/armchair_no_comment/principles.html
1. Technology alone is not answer
2. Understand your participants
3. If you build it, they might not come!
4. Look beyond your sector
5. Evaluate and share learning
Armchair Involvement Master Class

25. Crowd Sourcing
Picture CC: sucata09-196.JPG By: hotblack

26. Image by OliverWilke
Crowd Sourcing
White Paper definition:
The act of taking a job traditionally
performed by a designated agent
(usually an employee) and
outsourcing it to an undefined,
generally large group of people in
the form of an open call.
Armchair Involvement Master Class

27. Why Crowd Source?
1. Tapping into the wisdom of the crowds
2. Accessing information that is highly
distributed
3. Understanding the preferences of the
crowd
4. Policy innovation, or uncovering new
ideas that are hidden in the crowd

28. Beyond the Barrier...
Picture CC: Miramar2007__655_.JPG By: sdaztec25

29. “Insanity: doing
the same thing
over and over
again and
expecting
different
results.”

30. Current Engagement
Lots of activity (but limited
methods):
–Written consultation
–Public meeting
–Satisfaction surveys
–Questionnaires

31. Radical Engagement
• Starts with lived experience of citizens.
• Builds citizen problem-solving capacity.
• Designed with long-term impact in mind.
• Uses right incentives –including fun.
• Makes most of behavioural sciences
• Personalises engagement opportunities.

32. Examples
Imagine Croydon
Let’s Do It Estonia
Our Budget, our economy
Manila Flood map
Citizens Initiative review

33. Imagine Croydon

34. My Estonia

35. ‘Our Budget Our Economy’

36. Manila Flood Map
http://www.nababaha.com/report/view.php

37. Citizens’ Initiative Review

38. Examples Principles
Imagine Croydon Fun/Informal
Let’s Do It Estonia Decentralized
Our Budget, our economy Deliberative
Manila Flood map Networked
Citizens Initiative review Institutional

39. Old and new focus
Old focus New focus
• What’s in it for • What’s in it for
government? the citizen?
• Short term • Longer term
• Siloed by • Focus on
organization relationships

40. 
 
  
 

41. Recommendations
• Build the business case http://bit.ly/r5svOJ
• Audit your practice
• Partner with others http://bit.ly/xiR2Tg
• Evaluate and share http://bit.ly/zIm8Y9
• Start with people

42. “Courage is what it
takes to stand up
and speak;
courage is also
what it takes to sit
down and listen.”
Winston Churchill

43. Choose the next topics
The topics of the next webinars will be
decided by you.
Fill out the survey:
http://svy.mk/AEmivE

44. Picture CC: P2243645.JPG By: mconnors
QUESTIONS?

45. involve
Royal London House
22-25 Finsbury Square
London
EC2A 1DX
t: 0 20 7920 6470
e: edward@involve.org.uk
twitter: ed_andersson