Building the evidence
base and civil service
capacity
4th October 2019
Nancy Hey
Director, What Works Wellbeing, UK
OECD International Workshop
whatworkswellbeing.org
@whatworksWB
@Work_Life_You

Nancy Hey
Centre Director
What, Why, How and Who
2014: What Works Centre for Wellbeing

Underpinning evidence engagement with evidence
Policy Perspective

Shared Systemwide Learning
Building evidence into policy & practice
• UK is a world leader in science advice to policy
• Policy Profession promoting approaches to make
best use of evidence and involve people from broad
range of disciplines
• What Works Network organisations are an effective
knowledge use mechanism* and are being taken up
in Canada, New Zealand & Australia.
*https://whatworkswellbeing.org/product/48172/ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05414-4
Synthesis requires brokerage at the
interface of public life and academia.
Collaboration will bring academics,
policymakers, practitioners, funders
and publishers closer to a world in
which decision-making can be built on
solid ground, not sand.
Policy Official
perspective
Professionalism
as driver of
knowledge use

Shared Systemwide Learning
Building evidence into policy & practice
• Access to best science advice to policy
• Policy Profession promoting approaches to make
best use of evidence and involve people from broad
range of disciplines
• What Works Network organisations are an effective
knowledge use mechanism*
*https://whatworkswellbeing.org/product/48172/
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05414-4
Synthesis requires brokerage at the
interface of public life and academia.
Collaboration will bring academics,
policymakers, practitioners, funders and
publishers closer to a world in which
decision-making can be built on solid
ground, not sand.

Underpinning evidence engagement with evidence
Being effective
The knowledge base for knowledge use

What we know about the evidence
The evidence base for effective knowledge use
Systematic Review Summary Discussion Paper
Shorter Summary

Evidence behind the activity
The Science of Using Science – What Works in Research
UseMechanism Evidence Pathway Activity Priority
1. Champion evidence informed
decision making No/Low
Motivation
Opportunity
Use in combination
Approach: Be curious with rigour
Case studies, partners, norms
Low
2. Define good evidence with
community No/Low
Motivation
Opportunity
Use in combination
GRADE & SERQUAL, DELPHI, Evidence journey, Evaluation
guidance, methods series
Medium
(important for
sector)
3. Visible evidence through access
and communications Reliable
Motivation
Opportunity combined
Synthesis, design, UX, index/tools, (digital), comms
channels, networks, A-I-A, Tailor & Target, Responsive,
Frame, Brand, Social media, case studies
High
4. Interaction between decision
makers & researchers Cautious
Ineffective for Capability
Motivation
Opportunity
Forums, Networks & Super Users,
Sector perspectives, Academic perspectives
Medium
5. Learning building evidence skills
& make sense of evidence Reliable
Motivation
Capability
e-learning, workshops, cohort, conferences
Medium
(where resources
available)
6. Adoption through decision
making structures & processes Reliable
Motivation
Opportunity
Green Book, Advisory groups, reviews, commissions,
measures, Innovation funds/labs, template for
commissioners, business case content, evidence
maps/strategies, What Works Centres/intermediary
bodies
High

Evidence behind the activity
Building an evidence system for wellbeing
Narrative
Evidence informed professions
Global Knowledge Base
Evidence Synthesis
Primary Evidence Generation
Evidence Infrastructure
Measures, Concepts
1. What Good Knowledge Brokers Do
• Robust Evidence
• Relevant & Useful
• Communicate well
2. Partner with professions
• Government: Policy, Analysis, Public Health, Local
Authority Chief Execs
• Business: HR & Occupational Health, Sector Bodies
• Civil Society: Charity bodies & Evaluation professionals
3. Bring together, makes sense of and translate knowledge
4. Partner to fill evidence gaps
5. Methodology, Measures & Concepts

By the end of the session be able to
 Explain what wellbeing is, how its defined and
measured and why it matters
 Describe key factors that influence wellbeing
and examples of wellbeing in policy and practice
 Show how wellbeing is relevant to their area of
work
 Take action and apply wellbeing findings and
tools to their work area
Introduction
Learning Objectives

What Works Centre for
Wellbeing
For Whom, When, How and for How

The What Works Centre for Wellbeing

Evidence Programme 2015 - 2018

Mechanisms for wellbeing
Visual Arts
How does participating in visual art projects impact the wellbeing
of adults with mental health issues?

Research perspective
Evidence could be better!
“Surprisingly, despite thousands of sport
and dance interventions taking place
across the UK, in the published literature
from the past decade, there is limited
good quality evidence, and very little
conducted in the UK. This points to a
need for better structures for measuring,
collecting and using evaluations to build
national and local evidence bases.”

Evidence Infrastructure
Apples & Pears: data comparison

Local Area Adult Wellbeing Indicators
Known drivers of wellbeing using existing local data UK
wide
-> Download

Applied to workplace
Workplace drivers of wellbeing
Development supported by

Voluntary Reporting Standards for wellbeing in the workplace
Wellbeing at work

National Measurement of Good Work
Industrial Strategy

Community wellbeing – tools and resources
Building measures into evaluation -> Collate the findings
whatworkswellbeing.org/measure

Thank
you!
Nancy.hey@whatworkswellbeing.org
www.whatworkswellbeing.org
@whatworksWB
@work_life_you