Building a network of system thinkers in the Policy Profession

For each Systems Thinking Knowledge Series webinar, PPU invited an Academy Policy Fellow to share their experiences using systems thinking on a specific policy challenge. Policy challenges discussed range from the first UK Hydrogen Strategy to tackling child exploitation. Benefits of systems thinking shared by the presenters include the ability to manage disparate bits of information and bring industry voice into policy advice.  

Over 3000 attendees across government have attended since the Knowledge Series began in 2022.

With support from the Academy, one-hour systems teach-in sessions are now incorporated into the Fast Stream Policy Basecamps, with over 350 civil service Fast Streamers attending sessions since 2024. These sessions guide fast streamers to use systems thinking tools to evaluate stakeholders’ needs for current policy challenges, such as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and health inequalities. These sessions were often Fast Streamers’ first exposure to systems thinking, with one participant commenting that:  

‘I had no knowledge of systems thinking but had a lot more confidence once working with systems thinking with the group. It was interesting to see the opposing views on stakeholders’ influences.’