When the City of Cockburn set out to strengthen its engagement practice, one of the biggest opportunities lay inside the organisation. Engagement was sometimes seen as something managed by a single team, rather than a shared responsibility.
That has changed. Today, engagement is understood as part of everyone’s role — an approach that contributed to Cockburn being recognised as the 2024 Core Values Awards Organisation of the Year.
A journey map for staff, not just the community
One of Cockburn’s most effective strategies was creating an engagement journey map. This visual guide helped staff across the organisation see where engagement fits into project design and delivery.
By clarifying roles and touchpoints, the journey map gave staff confidence about when and how to involve the engagement team — and demonstrated how engagement could strengthen their own work.
As one webinar panellist reflected: “Staff started to see engagement as something that supported their projects, not as an extra step.”
Building confidence through training
Alongside tools, Cockburn invested in tailored training to build capability across departments. These sessions equipped staff with practical skills for conversations with the community and deepened understanding of engagement principles.
The result wasn’t about turning everyone into engagement specialists — but about embedding a shared baseline of knowledge. Staff designing services, projects or policies became better able to anticipate community needs and opportunities.
Leadership as the driver
Leadership support was a key ingredient in this cultural shift. Engagement was positioned as an organisational priority, with leaders modelling the behaviours they wanted staff to adopt.
This gave teams the encouragement and permission to integrate engagement early in their projects. The message was clear: engagement wasn’t an add-on, it was part of how the City delivered its work.
Lessons for practitioners
Cockburn’s story is a reminder that successful engagement often starts from within.
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A clear framework (like a journey map) helps staff see where engagement adds value.
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Training and support build confidence across the organisation.
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Leadership commitment ensures engagement becomes embedded, not optional.
By investing in its own people, Cockburn has made engagement a shared responsibility — and a strength recognised at the national level.
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