Why a compass beats a map in a 21st-century strategy

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Today, we launch the Nuffield Trust’s new organisational strategy. It sets out how we will navigate the rapidly changing world of health and social care, and how we will remain true to our vision: a country where everyone can live healthy, fulfilling lives, supported by equitable, high-quality health and care services.

Two years ago (almost to the day), I took up the position of Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust. I was surprised by how many people asked me what my priorities were, whether my experience as a community trust CEO would mean the Nuffield Trust pivots towards policy on community services, whether I would implement a change in direction for a small but perfectly formed think tank, which was already doing great work.

My answer has consistently been that the approach I have taken has been evolution not revolution. This is a successful organisation that works well. My predecessors built an organisation known for its incisive, impactful and high-quality work. I have built on this, working across the staff team to develop these foundations into our core values, written throughout today’s new strategy: bold, rigorous and responsive, inclusive, curious and kind.

This strategy is neither a great change in direction for the Nuffield Trust, nor is it a prescriptive roadmap outlining in intricate detail where we will focus and on what topics. This has been the subject of healthy debate, both with the staff team and with trustees and our leadership. “Is your strategy really a strategy?”, someone asked me as we deliberately chose not to outline detailed topic areas for analysis.

The answer is that yes, it is very much a strategy – but in a world defined by rapid change, uncertainty and disruption, we are choosing direction over rigid certainty.

For much of the last century, organisations relied on the map: fixed, detailed, and designed for stable terrain. But anyone who has driven a car with an out-of-date satnav will know that maps can offer only partial solutions, relying on the repetitive phrase “you are off road now”.  Maps are great at describing clear routes and fixed landmarks, but today the landscape is shifting faster than maps can be redrawn. Technology, global crises, climate change, regime change and social change rewrite the rules in real time. A conventional strategy can be quickly out of date just as a map can become a relic of the past and obsolete.

I would argue, along with others, that the traditional map – once the cornerstone of strategic planning – no longer works. That is why we think of our newly launched strategy as a compass. The compass points are our values – bold, rigorous and responsive, inclusive, curious and kind – and our purpose: to provide evidence that makes health and social care better. They keep us oriented even when the terrain is unfamiliar, guiding us in how we think, how we make decisions, and why we act.

Our strategy also recognises that the challenges we face are not just complicated but complex. The health and care system is influenced by countless forces, often beyond prediction. Certainty can be illusory. What we need is not rigid instructions but clear bearings: a shared understanding of our ‘why’ and ‘how’.

Our compass points us towards three enduring priorities across both health and social care:

• Funding: helping policy-makers understand how resources are used and how financial decisions shape care.
• Quality: tracking and evaluating the care people receive and identifying how it can be improved.
• Workforce: analysing the health and care workforce, its pressures, and its future needs.

These priorities remain at the heart of our work, but our compass ensures we approach them with adaptability. It means being willing to pivot, experiment, and explore new approaches – from harnessing the potential of AI to developing new and innovative research methods – while always staying rooted in evidence and our commitment to independence.

This strategy also strengthens how we work. We are seeking out voices beyond the familiar policy ‘bubble’, listening to lived experience alongside technical expertise. And we are challenging ourselves constantly to ensure our interventions are relevant, impactful and constructive.

We don’t need to have all the answers. But we do have a clear sense of direction and commitment to our three key aims: influencing policy and practice; producing rigorous research and statistics; and fostering collaboration and innovation to redesign health and care services for the future.

With our compass, we can weather turbulent times and work towards evidence that informs better policy, practice and ultimately better lives.