Scholars increasingly draw attention to the benefits of collaborative governance. Yet few studies focus on the processes that help public organisations move in this direction. In this chapter, we investigate how differing conceptions of citizen roles become solidified in management practices. Using case study data from a local initiative designed to promote citizen engagement, we show how government staff involved in implementing the initiative struggled to shift from practices that viewed the citizen as a customer to practices that view the citizen as a co-producer. Our analysis draws attention to a set of tools that may help public organisations move in the direction of greater engagement, including the co-creation of material artefacts, staff development and training opportunities and the presence of external and internal translators.
