Re-defining excellence in public engagement - Our ideas of Best Practice have to take account of financial realities

Someone attending an Institute training course recently became very depressed.

What’s the use, she said, of learning how to do things properly when all my budget has been removed and I’m required to consult thousands of people without spending any money?

It is no consolation for competent people like the lady in question that public engagement and consultation will remain a requirement for as far as the eye can see. If Managers decide that money spent on seeking the views of stakeholders cannot be justified in present circumstances, they probably think they are making an effective contribution to balancing the books. In reality, of course, they are taking risks but, in the current climate, public bodies probably feel that everything is one great big gamble!

There are three things going on here – and they are all quite logical. But they also have implications.

1. Marginal consultation will go!But what is marginal? Maybe asking people’s views when we’ve done it before? Or when we know exactly what people will say? Or when nothing anyone says will make a difference? Local authorities and the NHS have legal duties to inform, consult and involve but, in reality, have some discretion as to when to do what.
2. – What isn’t marginal? Making significant changes that affect people or businesses; when we don’t talk to stakeholders, we make mistakes, and suffer the law of unintended consequences.
3. – The Place Survey, and comparable measurement and benchmarking against lots of performance measures, is something we can do without – for a while. But sooner or later, there will be a need to gather the facts - though there must be cheaper, less cumbersome methods.
4. – 2. In-house options predominate
5. – Public bodies have spent significant sums with external contractors in recent years – and will still need to do so for specialist exercises – or when they don’t have the capacity. But, inevitably, the emphasis now changes.
6. – Fortunately there’s no real shortage of experienced people who can hold sensible dialogues with different interest groups – or at least, could do so with modest amounts of specialist training. There are other resources that can be found internally. These include buildings, meeting spaces, websites and, particularly information. A consolidation of the chaotic proliferation of stakeholder databases in many public agencies is long overdue.
7. – 3. Look for more Listeners
8. – Headcounts are about to be cut and there may be fewer people with consultation or public engagement in their job titles. But those who remain include thousands of front-line public servants and others who are perfectly able to do the ‘listening.’ Indeed many of them feel frustrated that they are not more frequently asked to consult the public they serve.
9. – The Big Society idea provides an excellent backcloth for this. Obliging the public sector to challenge the rest of us to do more for ourselves means far more dialogue. So, whether it is with local businesses, community groups, social enterprises or parish councils, someone has to do it, and with rather more expertise and purpose than before.

All this can be done to high standards. Excellence is about doing what you’re doing so as to meet realistic expectations. These expectations change over time. The public is not stupid and may no longer expect a glossy 20 page brochure through every letterbox. There are excellent alternatives, and the most successful public bodies in the current climate will be those who learn how to be excellent in tougher times

Trigger points

• Have you revised your consultation strategy to take account of resource realities?
• Who else in your organisation can be encouraged to become active listeners?
• The best way to develop and inspire in-house teams is to organise professional in-house training. The Institute has many options.
• The Institute invites expressions of interest from organisations wishing to join the Excellence Scheme for 2011. Glasgow Housing Association has almost completed all levels. Be recognised for being great at listening!
• Consultants and Technology providers can be excellent too. We’re about to announce Sauce Consultancy as the first ’Practitioner Partner’ under our Partnership Scheme. Expressions of interest invited for this as well.

This is the 175th Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement