17 January, 2014

Does your role involve engaging others? How do you do it? How do you make sure it’s meaningful?

These are just a few of the questions that will be explored in a new research project being undertaken by The Participation Agency.

Over recent years the notion of engagement has wound its way onto the priority lists of those working in many areas of an organisation – from communications departments and volunteer managers to business development teams, HR and chief executive’s offices. And yet we are all aware that it is an elusive term, used by very different people to mean very different things. In its best forms, quality engagement can allow organisations to share power, spread decision-making, create wellbeing, and improve services and their delivery. But too often it can be mistaken as an end in itself, and creep back into traditional notions of ‘consultation’ – little more than an exercise in box-ticking.

In early 2014 The Participation Agency will be exploring how people see their roles in relation to engagement, what aims they are pursuing, what and who is driving the need to engage and, crucially, how people are defining what they do. The research will take the form of a range of qualitative in-depth interviews and a wider quantitative survey.

If you are interested in taking part in this research you can complete the survey here or email kirsty@participationagency.com for further information. Please also pass these details on to anyone else you think might be interested.

The Participation Agency will share the research findings in the form of an insight report to be published later in the year.

The Participation Agency is a collaboration between Amazon and some of its longest standing partners. Find out more here.

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