The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) are launching new work to support change and strengthen analytical leadership across government. We would like to engage with those who use data in their work as well as analysts to contribute to this project.
Effective analytical leadership ensures that the right data and analyses are available, and that analysts are skilled and resourced to answer society’s most important questions. Our latest blog – Analytical leadership: How do we make sure the gains we’ve made stay for (the public) good? – sets the scene for this new work.
Following our previously published statistical leadership systemic review, which highlighted the importance of government(s) showing leadership and being role models for the use of data and evidence, we will continue work to explore the broader analysis context, engaging with new stakeholders to support this throughout 2022/23.
We’d love to speak to a range of people that use data in their work, including policy, digital, communications and other senior officials, as well as analysts from different professions, both within and beyond government.
Director General for Regulation, Ed Humpherson said:
Our planned work on Analytical leadership will show how the TQV (Trustworthiness, Quality and Value) framework can be relevant and helpful to everyone working with data and analysis in government. The framework supports confidence in analysis and decisions informed by analysis. By drawing on TQV, government analysis can more fully serve the wider public good.
If you are interested in contributing to this work, please get in touch with us via: regulation@statistics.gov.uk
What do we mean by analytical leadership?
To support good outcomes for citizens and serve society’s need for information, we should all demonstrate analytical leadership when working with analysis and data, in terms of:
How analysis is Produced
By ‘thinking TQV’ when planning and producing analysis we can ensure:
- Collaboration – we work across professional boundaries to identify key analytical questions that need answering, both for policy and for society, with analysts stepping forward to share innovative solutions and their experiences
- Transparency and Accessibility – analysis which addresses society’s key questions is published as standard, with clear insights to support understanding by different audiences, and opportunities for people to feed into future developments
- Standards – links between analytical professions are strengthened around shared values, standards and priorities, with the option to voluntarily adopt the TQV framework, to support public confidence for analysis outputs when published.
How analysis is Used
We can stand up for how analysis is used in government and public debate, and protect its accurate interpretation, by committing to:
- Explanation – publish analysis in ways that enhance appropriate understanding, and support confidence in accurate interpretation. Analysts should also be visible and have public channels to communicate clear, impartial insights
- Leadership – uphold the integrity of analytical evidence, with all officials recognising government analysis as a shared public asset – challenging its misuse or misinterpretation, and correcting the record where necessary
- Professionalism – ensure all policy is based on robust evidence and evaluation. Analytical work should feed into policy in a transparent way and there should be clear separation between impartial analytical insights, and policy decisions, political positions, and communications.
How analysis is Valued
When analysis is truly valued, both its production and use will be supported. We therefore want to see:
- Analysis as a public asset – governments recognise the significant public value of analysis for society and actively support its publication, with senior leaders pressing to address a broader range of societal questions. There should be clarity about the value government analysis adds, with it seen as the gold standard for other organisations to draw on, and to work with
- Championing and Resourcing – senior leaders champion the benefits of strong analytical insights and cultures, support innovation to answer key public and policy questions, and resource analytical programmes effectively. This should include time and resources for analysts to engage and understand users’ key questions and information needs
- Skills and careers – greater opportunities for analysts to progress their careers to the highest levels of government, with strong analytical skills seen as a significant organisational asset, and analytical awareness increasingly essential for a range of government roles.