Benefits and challenges for government

Benefits of effective community engagement

Genuine and effective community engagement has benefits for both government and citizens.Broadly, engagement allows governments to tap wider sources of information, perspectives and potential solutions, therefore improving the quality of decisions and outcomes for communities. It also provides the basis for productive dialogue and deliberation and, ultimately, better democracy.

Government agencies have a commitment to community engagement and are continually seeking to improve their engagement practices. However, the changing nature of government and communities means that there are new challenges that require new approaches.

In considering the benefi ts of engagement, it is important to consider some of the reasons for seeking citizen involvement. Agencies may seek to:

• understand and respond to issues raised by citizens and communities
• raise the awareness of citizens about an issue
• identify challenges and opportunities not previously considered
• propose a range of options
• obtain public opinion about a range of options
• work towards consensus about a recommended option.

Benefits of involving citizens and communities include:

• the opportunity to tap into local knowledge about what is likely to work and what is not
• allowing government to better understand the complex issues in communities, and citizens to better understand the processes of government
• providing opportunities for cooperative, co-learning experiences and critical refl ection that builds capacity within both government and community
• increasing effective, open and transparent engagement processes that carry greater legitimacy and credibility in the community
• delivering networking opportunities, access to information and resources, personal recognition, skill enhancement and a sense of contributing to community problem solving for government officials
• achieving effective and sustainable policies, programs and services, efficiencies in coordination and improved community outcomes.

Working with community expectations

Citizens involved in government consultation and participation activities often have clear expectations about the return they want on the investment of their time and energy. They may also express concern at poor past experiences — of not feeling respected, listened to or given appropriate feedback and that government made its own decision regardless of community input. Others are dissatisfi ed with traditional consultation methods such as public meetings or are unclear about where to go and how to have a say.

While many citizens feel disengaged, they are increasingly expecting to be involved in the decisions affecting them, or of particular interest to them. Many citizens will become actively involved when they are particularly concerned or passionate about an issue. They expect tangible outcomes, to be informed about the results of engagement and to receive timely and appropriate feedback on how their input was considered in the fi nal decision.

Citizens also expect to contribute to decisions about the process of engagement so the methods and techniques are appropriate to their needs. They expect accurate and complete information on issues they are being asked to consider so they can make informed choices, and suffi cient time and fl exibility in the engagement process to allow for the emergence of new ideas and proposals.

They expect clarity in relation to their role in the engagement process and any constraints or limitations imposed on them. There is also an expectation that information, consultation or participation activities of government will be inclusive, open and transparent.

Citizens expect agencies and levels of government to be coordinated to avoid
duplication and improve pathways through a complex system of government. Many citizens expect governments to work collaboratively with them to address the challenges facing their communities.

Key challenges for the public sector

Agencies are already improving their engagement practices, increasing public access to information and framing information in ways that are most useful to communities and citizens. However, a commitment to better engagement also requires more coordinated practices by agencies, including aligning engagement effort and the sharing and pooling of information.

Improvements to community engagement present a range of challenges for government and the public sector which include:

• developing a supportive culture
• developing skills, knowledge and capability in community engagement
• developing robust systems and processes
• improving coordination across government
• managing engagement in the context of government commitment, priorities and cycles
• clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the public sector, elected representatives, executive government and the Parliament
• finding ways to reduce barriers to involvement and reaching out to the unengaged and disengaged.

If agencies are to facilitate more deliberative and strategic citizen involvement, public sector officers from chief executive officers to front-line managers, as well as elected representatives, must come to value citizen involvement as a central component of governance.

Creating a culture of valuing citizen involvement also requires appropriate resource support and the allocation of adequate time to engagement processes. Culture change needs to be led from the top by Ministers and chief executive officers and embraced by the public sector as a whole. It also requires appropriate budget, planning, human resource and management systems to be put in place to support behavioural change.

There are a range of specifi c challenges facing public sector offi cers involved in planning, approving and implementing community engagement. They include making informed decisions about:

• the appropriate level of engagement — information, consultation or participation
• the most suitable method of engagement
• the timing of engagement in policy development and planning processes
• who should lead and facilitate the engagement
• strategies to address risks and manage expectations
• identifying and incorporating political imperatives
• addressing and managing distrust and disinterest
• addressing and managing vested interests
• how the results of engagement will properly inform policy development and decision making.

In addressing these challenges, public officials will contribute to improving community engagement practices in government business.