E' scomparsa la Strategy Unit del governo britannico.
Grazie a Globaldashboard ho scoperto che l'ufficio, un vero e proprio think-tank creato nel 2002 per portare il pensiero strategico all'interno del governo inglese potenziandone le capacità di analisi e visione strategica, è in corso di chiusura. Il team, tra le 30 e le 40 persone secondo la pianta organica, dovrebbe essere ricollocato all'interno di uffici di primaria importanza – la Policy Unit, l'ufficio del vice Primo Ministro, l'Office for Civil Society – ma privi di quel focus di lungo periodo che era la raison d'ètre della Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (PMSU).
Non conosco le ragioni ma mi sorprende molto una decisione che destruttura quello che a me risulta essere l'unico centro di analisi e riflessione strategica integrata di lungo periodo del governo britannico (a proposito… ma in Italia???). Mi sorprende ancor di più conoscendo i risultati di un'utile indagine conoscitiva (già segnalata in passato) effettuata tra il 2005 ed il 2007 dal Parlamento inglese: "Governing the Future".
Tra le varie cose interessanti, infatti, il report finale (che allego qui sotto e di cui consiglio la lettura) sottolineava l'importanza non solo di avere un centro di analisi strategica inter o sovra-ministeriale collocato nel "centro del governo" ma anche, nel caso inglese, di rafforzarlo ulteriormente:
"There is undoubtedly a need for some form of strategic capability at the centre of government. Those at the centre can look across government, free from the constraints and influence of departmental agendas, but with access to the knowledge within departments.
Strategic thinking and policy making are closely linked: policies move strategies from visions into actions. However, future thinking and strategic analysis require the ability to challenge existing policies, to look outside short-term time scales, and build up portfolios of policies as a result. This cannot be done if the central unit tasked with looking at the long-term is constantly diverted into short-term crisis management or pressing policy concerns (…)
It is inevitable that the PMSU will become involved in some policy issues as there is a close relationship between strategy, policy and delivery. But it is crucial that the PMSU is not diverted to current policy making and crisis management at the expense of its key strategic role. Strategy is its distinctive contribution to government."
Governing the Future – Volume I
"The Government has sought, through the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and other means, to build better understanding of the benefits of bringing a more strategic approach to policymaking. These benefits include:
• better use of scarce resources because good strategy ought to lead to greater clarity about relative priorities and thus better decisions about resource allocation;
• improved capacity to deal with short term crises. This is a crucial insight. Short term crises will be better dealt with if longer term goals are clear;
• better policy outcomes. Greater clarity about goals, which is at the heart of good strategy, should allow a stronger focus on the best means of achieving those goals. Good strategy is also analytically rigorous and evidence based. The result should therefore be better policy outcomes (…)
Both the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and the Foresight Programme are widely admired internationally and seen as world leaders in what they do (…)
One of the reasons the PMSU was created as a self-standing unit was to ensure its strategic role was not diverted by day to day issues or crisis management – though clearly there are various ways of achieving this. The Unit has therefore been able to focus on the important rather than the urgent and it has consistently had the capacity to tackle issues from first principles bringing an analytically rigorous and evidence based approach to bear across all its work."