Political nous is an essential policy capability

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In my work over the past decade in supporting organisations and jurisdictions to improve the quality of policy advice and the capability that underpins it, I’m struck by how most organisations focus almost exclusively on the “supply side” of the good policy equation — usually on people capability but increasingly also the processes, systems and tools that underpin good advice to decision-makers.

We need to also think about the “demand side” — our relationships with ministers and other decision-makers, and the authorising environment that shapes and is shaped by advice from officials. The demand and the supply side are both important components of what I call the policy infrastructure.

The political-administrative interface is a tricky place to navigate. But navigate it we must if we are to provide good advice that will have influence with decision-makers and support them to take good decisions.

Understanding the broader political environment — government and ministerial priorities, and the other pressures on politicians, including from their parties and constituents — is key to building trust with elected officials and helps to shape the space where public servants can be bold and proactive in their advice.

In a recent talk for the McGuinness Institute, a public purpose think tank in Wellington, New Zealand, I aimed to demystify and contextualise political nous and relationships at the administrative-political interface. I believe these relationships can be codified and built to improve government decision-making.

You can watch the full talk here.

I offered some tips for improving relationships for both sides of the political-administrative interface. These come from both my own experience and also from conversations with people from both sides of the political-administrative divide, as well as those working at the interface like political advisors and ministerial chiefs of staff.

Regardless of where we sit on the political spectrum, we all agreed that ministers need to be clear about what they want to achieve; they need to set expectations of their office staff; be able to ask good questions; invite “scary” innovative ideas; and allow longer-term thinking in work programs (we are failing in areas like climate change and intergenerational disadvantage because of short-termism).

Tips for ministers on how to be “intelligent customers” of advice are included in a previous article. On the other side, officials need to provide free, frank and evidence-informed advice; avoid second-guessing ministers (don’t be a “ministerial whisperer”); be bold in proactively articulating current and future challenges; include diverse views in advice; and exercise political nous to build trust with decision-makers.

Having political nous is important for anyone giving advice and gets more important the closer you get to a leadership position. So, what does it look like in practice?

What does political nous look like in action — and in absence?

Demonstrating political nous means being able to:

• Navigate complexity: try to understand the political ecosystem in its complexity, including the channels of influence (who’s saying what and why) and the unwritten signals (hone those political antennae).
• Hit the target: identify the right time and right place for approaching and communicating ideas to decision-makers, and be aware of the “no-go zones” (no point in flogging dead horses or presenting ideas when the decision-maker is distracted by a crisis or other pressures).
• Respect other sources of advice: decision-makers are exposed to many sources of advice, so try to articulate those different perspectives and seek alignment where there is some. Attempt to bring in the perspectives of less-heard voices, like First Nations/Indigenous populations. New Zealand’s Policy Project frameworks are being enhanced with a focus on Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi.
• Build relationship capital: continue to develop a relationship of trust and confidence, strengthen and invest in future interactions (influence is cumulative). The ultimate indicator of trust and confidence is being invited to offer advice.
• Know the rules: be across the rules, obligations, advice and guidelines provided — like the code of conduct and cabinet manual — as guardrails for behaviour and the ongoing relationship.
• Have courageous conversations: be bold and proactive in giving advice.

But like housework, political nous is often most visible when it is not present. The absence of political nous is seen in five characters (we’ve all met one of them):

• The show-off: seeking the decision-maker’s attention for self-promotion.
• The strident advocate: acting as a lobbyist rather than presenting evidence-based ideas.
• The rogue: failing to follow due process.
• The blabber-mouth: not respecting the privacy of discussions with the minister and being detrimentally over-transparent.
• The sycophant: being desperate to be in the minister’s good books and not challenging ideas or initiatives that you know have little merit.

How can you build your political nous muscles?

Practical options for sharpening political nous should be included in learning and development programs, especially for those in policy roles, but ideally for anyone developing or giving advice. Using the ratio of 70% learning on the job, 20% learning from others and 10% formal learning, there are plenty of opportunities to build your political nous muscles (although formal courses are fairly rare).

Less experienced officials can ask to sit in on meetings with ministers, or ask more senior staff to explain to them what happened and why in meetings with ministers. They can ensure they keep abreast of what’s going on in the portfolio and learn about the minister’s priorities and preferences, including presentational preferences and how they like to receive advice. More ideas are included in the video above.

Building political nous is both an individual pursuit and a team sport. Managers and leaders need to think about what can be done at team and organisational levels to help people build their policy skills including their political nous.

This is all about how we design and deliver better advice that hits the mark and has influence and impact. That means better government decision-making and better outcomes for the people that the public service is here to serve.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to the McGuinness Institute for allowing us to share the video of Sally’s talk.

This article is reproduced from Apolitical.