To be an effective and analytical consumer of the literature on evidence-based management strategies, some familiarity and comfort with statistics is necessary. In this CQ Dossier you will learn the basics of statistics for management.
In this CQ Dossier, the foundation of understanding science and reading scientific papers for management practitioners will be discussed: knowledge of how to prove cause & effect, basic statistical awareness, and an understanding of science as tentative and self-correcting.
Evidence-based management (also known as EBM or EBMgt) is a management approach that involves using multiple sources of scientific evidence and empirical results as a means of attaining knowledge (Barends, Rousseau, & Briner, 2014). To be an evidence-based manager is to use the scientific literature as a means of answering questions, inspiring strategy decisions, and forming long-term plans. Published academic research from the fields of psychology, behavioral economics, communications, and even sociology can help to inform the decisions of a well-informed evidence-based manager. An evidence-based manager carefully considers the body of evidence, evaluating research for its quality and relevance.
Niklas Luhmann, one of the most influential sociologists of the 20th century and father of social systems theory, once stated that organizations are made of decisions (Luhmann 2000). He even went further and argued that every decision taken builds on past decisions which accumulate to an organization’s future. On a more practical level, making the right decision can be a matter of life and death in high-risk environments such as aviation, medicine, or the military. In business, management and organizations, decision-making quality is a key determinant of good performance. We will take a look at the state of decision-making in the business sector and how Evidence-based Management can help managers, professionals and other stakeholders to improve decision-making quality.
In two sessions, we interviewed Eric Barends, the Managing Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Management (CEBMa). Eric is based in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and advises management teams and boards of companies and non-profit organizations on evidence-based management and development. In this first session Eric discusses the foundation of evidence-based management and its benefits in business.
As you continue to develop your evidence-based management skills, learning to evaluate research for its quality and applicability to your own management practice is paramount. While peer-reviewed, empirical research is generally of a much higher quality than other published information found from other sources, not all journal articles are created equally.
This CQ-Dossier provides an introduction in science-based and evidence-based management and how professionals and managers can implement it. Questions such as how to find, read, evaluate and interpret scientific evidence are addressed. In addition, the limits of scientific evidence are discussed.
High-quality decision-making matters. Evidence-based Management is an easy to apply approach that helps management practitioners to make better decisions. I got the chance to talk to Michael Vodianoi from ScienceforWork and Northmark Talent about the benefits of an Evidence-based Management approach in Human Resource practice. In our discussion Michael provides valuable insights about the principles underlying evidence-based HR, its practical benefits and how it can be applied in daily business.
Evidence-based management covers both qualitative and quantitative research. This CQ Dossier provides a brief introduction in both research traditions.
The social sciences have been an important driver of human progress throughout history. Research findings are still an important source for decision-making for professionals around the world. However, the reputation of social sciences has started to suffer as critics argue that they are lacking in usefulness. We argue that they do have a point and that some social sciences indeed face an impact crisis while others thrive. Furthermore, we have a look at the state of social sciences and how to overcome the impact crisis.
