Workshop reflections: Collaboration and connection with Playford Council
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of council services? For me, it used to be bin collections and the maintenance of public spaces (including verges). But what if I told you that councils provide far more than that?
Recently, Parbery was engaged by Playford Council to provide workshop facilitation services for their City Services Division—a team of approximately 160 people across 17 teams. Leveraging insights gathered through pre-planning meetings, we co-designed an agenda to achieve the workshop’s objectives, which included:
• Enabling connection between teams and the work they do;
• Seeking opportunities for collaboration and innovation; and
• Providing teams with insight into strategic challenges and demonstrating how their daily roles impact the community and the council’s success.
The backdrop of the day was a pristine, picket-fenced oval of the Virginia sports club (a suburb experiencing a large amount of growth). As the Playford personnel filtered into the community hall, they were greeted by the aroma of coffee, freshly made by a few of the management team using their own coffee machines. Posters lined the wall, describing key facts about Playford’s history, current demographics and growth pathway into the future.
Sharing insights and knowledge formed the main part of the day. Each team was tasked with researching about another team in the Division and leading a presentation to the workshop about what that team does. We were blown away by the creativity shown by each team, which featured a country song, a ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-air’ rap, a RUN DMC film clip, a presentation by a Lego person and a Louis Theroux-style interview to round out the day.
To break up the presentations, we incorporated a creative suggestion from the Playford management team: the now-famous ‘Playford Emoji Game,’ where workshop participants guessed council-related areas using emojis.
One of the day’s standout moments was a keynote address by Mr. Stephen Cain. Stephen shared his raw and compelling personal journey—from becoming a ward of the state at just 12 years old, spending years in and out of the correctional system, to now delivering impactful programs through his ‘Empathy, Not Sympathy’ initiative. His messages about self-accountability, seizing (and giving) second chances, and the value of giving back resonated deeply with attendees.
The afternoon session saw a Parbery-led ‘challenge session’ where we coached the City Services division through a problem-solving process, examining key strategic questions set by the leadership. The room was a hive of energetic brainstorming, with each table filled with representatives from different teams all offering their perspectives on how to address the strategic challenges. The result was a collation of brilliant ideas and suggestions for the leadership team to consider.
Key reflections from our engagement
Like other levels of government, councils have a broad mandate with complex service delivery challenges. These include efficiently managing population growth (housing, utilities, and services), effectively preparing for emergencies (bushfires, flooding, and storm damage), and providing support to individuals (social connection), families, and small businesses (economic growth).
Councils often lack the financial resources available to other tiers of government and at times must rely on competing for grants and prioritising services within tight budgets. The following were our key takeaways from the day.
1. Service delivery diversity: The diversity within Playford’s City Services Division was impressive. This team oversees everything from event management, building assessment and compliance to volunteer programs, industry growth and library services—and much more.
2. Leadership commitment: The leadership team’s dedication to fostering connections across teams was evident. Playford’s service delivery often requires integrated efforts, highlighting the importance of strong intra-organisational collaboration.
3. Community passion: Council personnel were deeply passionate about their work. Their commitment to positively impacting the community shone through in every presentation and during the challenge session.
4. Creative team engagement: The creativity and effort placed into presenting on another team demonstrated a genuine desire to learn about and celebrate each other’s contributions.
Parbery asked Jay Walker (Manager, Business and Industry Growth) about his thoughts on the day:
“The day provided a fantastic opportunity for our teams to learn more about each other’s roles and give more understanding of all the services we provide to our community. Collaboration is important in any organisation and today helped build and strengthen ties between our staff members and departments.”
A successful day
Overall, the workshop was a success for the City Services team. It provided an opportunity for connection, learning, and reflection while highlighting the vital and diverse role each member of the team contributes to Playford.
Events like this underscore the importance of bringing people together through collaboration and shared purpose in tackling the challenges today and into the future.
By Adam Costantini, Principal
