5B is an Australian cleantech company developing technology to accelerate the global move to a clean energy future. After securing a $12M Series A capital raise, 5B began its most extensive growth to date.
Engage2 was commissioned to engage staff, and embed democratic processes and feedback loops for staff to contribute as the company grows. A key part of this process was engaging staff in the co-creation and co-delivery of 5B’s strategic plan.
Engage2 designed and delivered a five stage engagement process over four months which:
- Captured staff input and ideas through an anonymous survey.
- Crowdsourced ideas from staff to inform its strategic imperatives, workspace redesign and operational priorities.
- Involved staff in the development of the strategic plan, company’s mission statement and values.
- Invited staff to allocate $60,000 of its budget to People and Culture initiatives through a participatory budgeting process.
- Established two staff-led working groups to co-create and co-deliver Corporate Social Responsibility and People and Culture programs.
To encourage and enable staff participation, Engage2 used a combination of digital and face-to-face engagement methods. This included working with Stanford University’s Crowdsourced Democracy team to utilise their participatory budgeting platform using knapsack voting, and coordinating hybrid in-person and virtual events to include 5B’s remote and overseas team. As part of this process, Engage2 also developed a suite of provocative communication materials, and facilitated a set of five strategic planning events with staff and executives, resulting in the creation of engagement protocols for future All Staff meetings.
Co-creating the future of 5B
Staff engagement increased throughout the process, with 79% of staff participating the survey, 71% in the facilitated ideation stage, and 84% voting in the participatory budgeting stage.
Through the engagement process, 5B staff successfully:
- Shaped the creation of a Strategic Plan for 5B,
- Proposed and prioritised 47 ideas, of which 36 have been implemented (26) or are currently being developed (10) by the company,
- Worked in staff-led working groups to develop the prioritised initiatives, and
- Collectively allocated $60,000 across People & Culture initiatives, through participatory budgeting using knapsack voting.
Final outputs of the engagement process included an engagement strategy and report, participatory budgeting outcomes, protocols for future all-staff and strategic planning events, the recruitment of a People and Culture Lead to maintain engagement and ensure staff representation at executive meetings, and the formation of two staff-led working groups.
5B staff said…
Working with Engage2 was deeply rewarding and left a lasting impact on 5B. Thank you to Amelia and the team!
Nicole Kuepper-Russell, Chief Strategy Officer
We’ve always aimed to have an inclusive culture at 5B, but haven’t always known how to cultivate one. Engage2 has helped us put our aspirations into actions and ensure that as our team grows and we all get pulled into several directions, we stay connected and foster an environment where everyone’s voice is heard. Thanks so much to the Engage2 team – we hope to have you back soon!
Rob Ludwick, Head of Business Development
Amelia did a great job facilitating the process. It was fun, inclusive and easy to engage with. Overall, I think it was a very useful exercise to go through to gain a better understanding of everyone’s values and opinions throughout the organisation.
Anna Wojtasinska, Project Admin Officer
Engage2 design, produce and facilitate engagement. We are experts in digital and online engagement, and virtual participation and facilitation.
For over 15 years, Amelia Loye has been helping governments and organisations in Australia, New Zealand and Canada understand communities and engage stakeholders in the design and delivery of policy, programs and services.
To start elevating your engagements, book your free 1 hour consultation with Amelia Loye or learn more about our services here.
