History’s lessons
There are several surprising and provocative insights in the recent Heywood Quarterly podcast on public sector leadership, which took as its starting point a fascinating study on failing schools in England. One that stood out to me is that the best headteachers, defined as those most likely to turn round such institutions, are historians by academic training. That’s what the data said, at any rate, and it makes sense that those knowledgeable about and inspired by the stories of great men and women who have changed society in the past are themselves more likely to bestow a lasting legacy through their own efforts.
About the same time as we were promoting our own podcast, I was listening to Munira Mirza, a former British political advisor who is currently the Director of Civic Future, lamenting the declining quality of those who hold public office. Part of the problem, she said, is our old friend short-termism, the disproportionate rewards for those who are good at soundbites and the lure of more lucrative professions – but she also blamed the malaise on reading habits. Citing an observation of the late Henry Kissinger, she suggested that few in government these days read history or biography, and that as a result they lack perspective on current events and understanding of the “deep structural trends” which drive societal change.
I hope several of the articles in this issue of the Heywood Quarterly will remind you not to look and plan forward without first looking back.
The opening article by Dame Menna Rawlings, our former Ambassador in Paris, is not just an uplifting account of how a woman from a modest social background scaled the heights of the Foreign Office and continues to have an impact on public life far beyond. Her description of the culture of the diplomatic service in her early days is a reminder that the old “boys’ club” world of Whitehall and King Charles Street did not fade away in the 1950s and 1960s, as many of us probably like to imagine, but was still highly recognisable in the late 1980s. Don’t miss Menna’s sidebar and its assertion that technology has been “genuinely transformative”, flattening hierarchies and bringing embassies and ambassadors out of the shadows to communicate directly with people rather than solely with governments.
History, meanwhile, is front and centre of the second article about reshaping the global economic order, the topic of this year’s Heywood Fellowship at Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford. Taking better informed policymaking as their underlying message, Martin Fitches and Michael Leger present two case studies – the early years of the League of Nations and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (precursor to the World Trade Organisation) – to demonstrate how a combination of self-interest and pragmatism has lain at the heart of British policy for at least the last century. Martin also shares some useful practical tips on how to get the best out of historians, a topic we will come back to in future editions.
Stephen Webb, in his strikingly headlined article ‘How to make bureaucracy great again’, is more explicit still about the lessons of history, and sounds a warning that without urgent reform in Whitehall those who want to destroy our institutions could prevail over those striving to preserve and improve them. Stephen harks back to what he sees as earlier golden ages of public administration, marked by clarity of strategic purpose, lean operations, an absence of cumbersome processes and a comfortable and constructive working relationship between government and the private sector. “Restoring authority to ministers is part of the story,” he writes, “but anyone who loves public service and does not want to see it burnt down needs to recognise the poor state the administrative class has got itself into.”
If looking back is one place to find answers, the forward march of artificial intelligence continues to look unstoppable. It may be that many of us are already sated with ministerial statements and ambitions on this topic, but the Heywood Quarterly will continue to welcome constructive and practical contributions on this transformative technology.
Owen Pengelly, a senior executive with technology consultants Gartner, was once a private secretary to Jeremy Heywood and a former Cabinet Office, Treasury and Trade official. In his article, he brings together all these perspectives to explore how the Government can best extract value from AI, pointing out that it won’t be enough to simply put shiny new tools in the hands of civil servants. AI’s reach, he argues, will need to extend into the processes and systems on which government runs and to upend settled departmental structures, norms and programmes as part of more radical organisational upheaval.
Whereas Owen’s view is at least partly outside-in, Harry Booty’s take on AI is research-driven from the inside. A strategic communications professional working for the Welsh Government, Harry set out to investigate the behavioural, social, organisational and professional factors that will either encourage or frustrate AI adoption by his peers. The overall picture (admittedly based on a small sample and a single function) is of a workforce experimenting pragmatically rather than one driven by ideological commitment or generational urge. Do let us know if you see similar or other patterns emerging elsewhere in the Civil Service and if you would like to share your own experience.
In the last few months the UK has been absorbing the recent lessons of history in the shape of the Covid pandemic, a theme touched on at the start of Charles Donald’s interesting reflections on his time in charge of UKGI, the Government’s in-house corporate finance boutique. UKGI is just 10 years old (though its predecessor components date back further) and Charles’ account throws light on a small but influential organisation where corporate bankers, civil servants and ministers wrestle with some of the more complex commercial and financial challenges of our time.
When it comes to challenges, though, there are arguably few bigger than the global fight against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). In the last full article of this edition, Professor Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on AMR, explains how and why the UK has been at the forefront of this campaign and what’s required from actors across government – and from our international partners – to keep up the momentum in the years ahead.
Finally, you’ll find a short summary of the main takeaways from the leadership podcast – do listen, you won’t be disappointed! – and our usual round-up of snippets about things you may have missed in recent months relating to government and the public sector.
Tim Dickson, Editor in Chief
