Tuesday Topic

One of the most frequently asked questions is “What’s the difference between market research (or social research) and consultation?” Sometimes the question comes from experienced researchers who, for years have worked in public bodies and supplied Chief Officers and Committees with important background material, and who have, in recent years been busy with Government-inspired satisfaction […]

Confidence is a fragile commodity and nowhere has this been better demonstrated than in the recent debate following Mathew Parris’ article in The Times ( ‘Don’t ask my opinion; don’t consult, engage or include; just lead’ – February 26th) Using the journalistic licence to exaggerate, Parris’ case was that the Edinburgh referendum on a proposed

We sometimes forget that consultation is not just the prerogative of the public sector. Indeed, Government departments, local authorities and other public agencies have come somewhat late into the world of responsive customer service. Best-of-Breed Companies were there a long time ago! When Tom Peters wrote In Search of Excellence in the 1980’s, one of

One of the success-stories of the last decade has been the gradual acceptance by consultors, that their attempts to engage stakeholders and the public have to be more socially inclusive. Seeking the views of the usual suspects has always been easier than building relationships with communities and groups who are less accustomed to the culture

When buying goods, it’s always a good idea to have a look at the “small print”! There, buried deep in the legal verbiage you may find something like The Supplier has a policy of continuous improvement and therefore reserves the right to make changes to the product specification at any time …… or words to

The trouble with public engagement is that it is not an exact science. Whilst formal consultation is relatively structured and has a definable beginning and end – with clear milestones at each stage, much of what’s asked for today goes beyond this – into the less precise areas of public engagement. Planning is one area

The first, and most important principle of The Consultation Charter is Integrity. It states that a consultation should be transparently honest, and that no-one will waste your time asking your views if their mind is already made up. This is why it is so important for organisations to be crystal clear about the scope of

Twenty years ago, when the Quality Management movement was at its height, its big rallying cry was the need to get it right first time. The argument was that poor quality in the design or manufacturing stages not only tarnished a product’s reputation; it also cost enormous sums of money in re-work, rectification, repairs and

We live surrounded by a culture of targets. It is not just the Government; Private Companies have been target-driven for decades, and it is well established that setting clear, measurable goals focuses the minds and actions of Managers. Indeed management gurus insist that the three most important characteristics of Leadership are the ability to articulate

Few terms cause more confusion than the simple words – public engagement. Used very generally, it refers to all aspects of the relationship between Public bodies, the citizens they serve and all other stakeholders; indeed private companies and voluntary bodies also indulge in public engagement, only parts of this process are more likely found in