Sean Lusk

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Strategic thinking - why it matters to GSR
GSR Fast Stream awayday HM Treasury 18
November 2008
Sean Lusk Head, Strategy Programmes/Research
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• What do we mean by strategic?
• Whats special about strategy in government?
• Where does strategy fit with policy and delivery?

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• Strategy, policy, delivery.

Strategy is an expression of what you want to
achieve, not simply what you will do. Remember it
is a verb, not only a noun! Policy ..the
process by which governments translate their
political vision into programmes and actions to
deliver outcomes - desired changes in the real
world Delivery.the change out there in the
system and in peoples behaviour. Outcomes are
almost all co-produced with citizens. Services
are important but only as means to ends.
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Stakeholder engagement (I)
Drivers
Trends
Adaptation
Horizon scans
Dissemination
Forecasts
Evaluation
Models and systems
Scenarios
Monitoring
Strategic vision of desired future
Political context/imperatives
Delivery chains and systems
Evidence scoping
Programmes projects
Stakeholder engagement (II)
- Targets (II), timescales, chokepoints
Refine outcome
- define objectives, targets, indicators
Gap swot analyses
Capacity capability development
Plan evaluation
- change programmes, infrastructure, strategy,
etc.
Option generation inc. backcasting
Design delivery chain
Consultation stakeholder engagement (III)
Organisational alignment leadership
Risk assessment
Mandates

• more/less
• outcome decomposition

Option appraisal
- political endorsement- legal- licence to
operate
Impact assessment
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• What does a strategic approach mean for analysts?
  
• What can analysts do to encourage more strategic
  working?

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• Strategy the impact on analysts
• Understand drivers
• Understand trends and counter-trends especially
  attitudinal trends
• Modelling and surfacing assumptions
• Building scenarios
• Leading indicators
• Identifying population accountability indicators
• Importance of behavioural change
• Option appraisal
• Engagement and public value
• Co-production

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• How to encourage strategic working
• Look for positive signals
• Ignore all the negative ones!
• Get everyone out to the front-line
• Agitate for accountability
• Use the Babel Fish understand language of
  others and speak it, too
• Engage with political imperatives
• Think of three waves of evidence
• Celebrate diversity of approach
• Triangulate evidence
• Tell stories
• Use case studies
• Remember the answer lies in space and time

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