Fraser Battye
Fraser is an Intellectual Forum Senior Research Associate.
Fraser Battye specialises in decision making and leadership development. He works for the Strategy Unit, a multi-disciplinary NHS team devoted to the application of intelligence.
Fraser has over 20 years of experience in public policy. Before joining the NHS, he worked as a consultant in the commercial sector. There he provided analysis and advice to organisations at all levels of government, from local to European.
In his career, Fraser has worked on a multitude of policy-related topics. These include: neighbourhood renewal, learning disability, economic development, sexual and domestic violence, policy responses to austerity, drug use, behaviour change and vocational training in rural areas. There are two unwavering themes within this variety: Fraser cares deeply about inequality; and he believes wholeheartedly in the benefits of clear, critical thinking.
What are you working on now?
Decision making. At the Strategy Unit, we are supporting health and care services in the Midlands to make better use of intelligence (of many kinds). Improving strategic decision making is a critical part of this equation – and it is surprising how little attention this gets given the importance of the outcomes at stake.
My role is to design and deliver programmes to address this. Currently this includes: a ‘Decision Quality for Leaders’ programme; training workshops on ‘thinking tools’; and a leadership development programme for analysts (who have been neglected for too long).
How has your career to date led to this?
This is an overly neat telling of a very circuitous path, but my focus has changed from supplying evidence to helping people use it. I began my career in research and evaluation. Over time I grew increasingly interested in how the evidence I produced got used - or not. So I moved ‘upstream’. Now I help organisations use evidence to formulate their strategies, policies and programmes. And my current focus on decision making is a culmination of this.
What one thing would you most want someone to learn from what you’ve done or are doing now?
Retain curiosity and humility. For problems with any degree of complexity it’s a fair bet that there won’t be a simple answer. Lesson one is to avoid the people who sell them. Instead, seek multiple perspectives and insights; this is far more likely to bear fruit.
To do this well, you need enough curiosity to take you out of your specialist area. You also need a blend of humility and confidence to work with all the uncertainty this implies. This can be stimulating and energising, as well as slightly daunting.
What do you think of Jesus College and the Intellectual Forum?
Health and care services need a flow of fresh ideas and multi-disciplinary perspectives; so I'm delighted to be a part of the Intellectual Forum. It’s fantastic that Jesus College has created a place to come, contribute to and draw from.
You can meet the rest of the Intellectual Forum team or contact us via email.
