Looking back, looking forward’ - my advice for establishing research culture and infrastructure in Local Government

This is an invited keynote on building effective cultures and infrastructures for research collaborations between academics and local government/local authorities/municipalities . It was given to a symposium for the UK Health Determinants Research Collaboratives , convened by the School for Public Health Research at the National Institute for Health Research, June 2024.

DOI 10.13140/RG.2.2.15189.23520

1. Looking back, looking forward establishing research culture and infrastructure in Local Government  NIHR HDRC Directors’ Meeting Jim McManus National Director of Health and Wellbeing Public Health Wales June 20th 2024

2. My experience of culture change in LAs This is essentially a change process 2

3. The bottom line What will you bring to the table to help the local authority deliver its functions and improve the lives of its residents in a time of sever financial strain and burgeoning population need? This needs to be front and centre at all times 3

4. The critical success factors Understanding Local Authorities from the inside is crucial to achieving any culture change in local government Methodological Imagination There are multiple research and evidence paradigms in Local Government already ( eg engineering science) PH is NOT King Diagnose, understand and work with the culture Governance. Decision-Making. Delivery. Create an authorising and enabling environment, both formal and informal, members AND officers Take an asset not a deficit approach – there are already cultures about evidence in operation across the council Deliver something useful as quickly as you can and get people talking about its value Be very clear what you can and cannot do so you do not get saddled with impossible expectations Co-create structures, systems and processes wherever possible If local authorities are complex social processes (Stacey) then find a network of people who will advocate for you 4 You are creating a movement as much as anything else

5. Research cultures in LAs We need to remember people did research before you came along There are bodies like Research in Practice and RiPFA and Campbell Collaboration and many more LAs will have known Assumptions – some LAs tried to apply the RCT as King (Washington Inst Public Policy and Dartington) in mid 2000s You need to understand this What methodological and epistemological approaches do you need? What preconceptions do people have? Multidisciplinarity? Transdisciplinarity? Metamodernity? 5

6. What is your role? Or will it change from project to project? 6 Each of these models have downsides and upsides. Advisors rarely change whole organisations Understanding and valuing your expertise is important but read Goodall on humility and leadership

7. A deep understanding of Local Govt is crucial 7

8. Understanding research and evidence within LA roles 8

9. Diagnosing and Understanding the Culture 9

10. The Authorising Environment Public Sector agencies require authority to deliver – formal and informal What formal authorising environment do you need? What informal authorising environment do you need? Stacey – “Complex Social Processes” 10 Idealised Actual – multiple, conflicting, unclear Source: Andrews et al, 2017 Managing your authorizing environment | Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

11. Australian Public Service Commission Guide – Understand your authorising environment 11 Understand your authorising environment | Australian Public Service Commission (apsc.gov.au)

12. An internal consulting approach 12 A schema of domains of knowledge needed in consulting approach Benefits of an internal consulting approach – clarity, responsibility Attitude and disposition – Humility and appreciation not “the expert” Source: Contable and McManus (forthcoming) in Brady, Ed Palgrave Handbook of Consulting in Health Psychology

13. What is my modus operandi? How will I influence and effect change? 13 In reality it’s often Multi-modal but you need to keep always before you what you can and cannot do

14. Phase 1 – Case for change Phase 2 – Establishing System Conditions Phase 3 – System Delivery Simplified Phases of implementation of a strategic shift to prevention We are here Assess System Capabilities System Design Frameworks - approved by council Implementation Planning Pathways Shifts in investment, funding and cost flows Quality Performance Metrics Currently using this on the All Wales Tackling Diabetes Together programme

15. The benefits of an internal consulting paradigm Understanding the environment Clarity – from scoping and negotiating to agreeing you have finished it An appreciation of what’s already there and how it can be used Working as part of a multi-disciplinary organisation Using change tools Helps you create and navigate complex authorising environments Provides a framework for other approaches like project management Helps you avoid the “organisational culture can be manipulated like pulling a lever” approach BUT your attitude and disposition will MAKE or BREAK this. Learn from Schein Humble Consulting and Mazzucatto and Collington The Big Con Cope, M (2010) Seven Cs of Consulting

16. Before you create an infrastructure An infrastructure is a process of negotiating between what you want, what is there and what resource is available Don’t create an infrastructure before you create at least part of an authorising environment Infrastructure - Authorising Environment is crucial – you will get NOWHERE without it Champions and Stakeholders Visibility of action and impact in the office and the member governance structures Capabilities and skills for the core Technical Organisational change Communicating, change-making, consulting Capabilities and skills - across directorates Methodological pluralism - "right methodological imagination, right problem" 16

17. The benefits of “Strategic Opportunism” Structured but agile enough to seize opportunities that can build on your ambitions 17

18. What would good look like? Waymarkers The work is visible, and tangible not “here’s something else that’s arrived in County Hall” 18

19. My top reading tips Tony Byrne (2000) Local Government in Britain - supplemented by nation specific reading and more recent books. Byrne is valuable for a historical introduction but structurally out of date The Relevant Local Govt Association Website for your Nation Convention of Scottish Local Authorities www.cosla.gov.uk Local Government Association (England) www.lga.gov.uk Welsh Local Government Association www.wlga.wales Northern Ireland Local Government Association www.nilga.org The Relevant Associations (ADASS, ADPH, ADCS, ADEPT, SOLACE, Society of County Treasurers, LARIA Home - LARIA - Local Area Research + Intelligence Association ) Cope (M) Seven Cs of Consulting Authorising Environment Links in slides above Understanding Local Government (local-government.org.uk) Mazzucato and Collington The Big Con Goodall on Expert Leadership (her research articles) | Academic Journal Articles (amandagoodall.com) The Art of Change Making leadershipcentre.org.uk/ wp -content/uploads/2016/02/The-Art-of-Change-Making.pdf 19

20. Things you could usefully do once and share 20

21. Diolch ! Thank You! Gweithio gyda'n gilydd i greu Cymru iachach Working together for a healthier Wales [email protected] [email protected]