Mapping community engagement activities
The demonstration sites and Practitioner Panel are keen to identify and classify existing community engagement activities. A wide definition of community engagement would include consultation, social and marketing research, and community and stakeholder engagement. A simple tool for conceptualising the range of activities was set out by Sherry Arnstein in 1969:
Arnstein sets out in the ladder the transition from non-participation to citizen control. Many users have found the eight item ladder unhelpful, and David Wilcox (Guide to Effective Participation, 1995) produced a simplified version:
Like Arnstein's ladder, Wilcox sets out levels or "stances" organisations may take in their engagement with the public or other stakeholders:
Supporting: supporting independent community initiatives through funding, advice and other resources
Acting together: here, different interested do not only decide together what is best, but they form a partnership to carry out the joint decision
Deciding together: encouragement to create additional ideas or options; deciding jointly on the best way forward
Consultation: identifying problems; checking preferences against a number of options; listening to feedback
Information: telling people what is planned; sharing knowledge
The ladder does not imply a value hierarchy. For example, in many instances, providing information is the legitimate objective of an engagement process (e.g. letting communities know how to make a complaint). Many engagement projects will also combine several steps on the ladder.
The Cheshire demonstration is using Wilcox adaptation of Arnstein's ladder to classify local consultation and engagement activities, and we will provide an update on this work in the near future.
