Topic: Evidence Based Management
Publication: Academy of Management Perspectives
Article: What’s the
evidence on evidence-based management? (NOV 2009)
Author: T. Reay, W. Berta, and M. K. Kohn
Reviewed by: Sarah Teague
In the last century, many significant advances have
been made in the study and application of Industrial/Organizational (I/O)
Psychology and Organizational Behavior (OB). Unfortunately, there remains a
substantial communication gap between researchers and practitioners. But research
and practice do not have to be mutually exclusive – as evidenced by this very
website!
One
approach that has been put forth in attempts to promote such collaboration is
that of Evidence-Based Management (EBMgt). This approach emphasizes the
importance of utilizing various sources of solid evidence in the process of
organizational decision-making (e.g., back decisions and actions with solid
evidence, rather than lore, biases, false assumptions, or a “that’s the way
we’ve always done things around here” mentality). While this is still a
relatively new concept, many in the community have begun to take note.
In
a recent literature review, Reay, Berta, and Kohn (2009) sought to assess the
quantity and quality of the existing evidence supporting evidence-based
management. This evidence was divided into six different levels according to
empirical quality ranging from an author’s opinion (Level 6 – weakest) to
large-scale studies involving a high degree of empirical rigor (Level 1 –
strongest). The majority of the literature fell into a very weak Level 5
categorization, and no studies were given the strongest rating of Level 1.
Further, none of the studies in their review addressed the question of whether
or not evidence-based management will actually improve organizational
performance. More research is needed in order to discuss the validity of such
practices.
The
results of the current review indicate that while the empirical quality of the
existing literature is certainly lacking, individual study findings suggest
promise for the EBMgt approach.. The authors convey optimism for the futureof EBMgt
research but echo the calls from other researchers (including Rousseau and
colleagues) for greater emphasis on knowledge transfer (KT; disseminating the
information gleaned from research to facilitate implementation in the workplace).
Accordingly, the authors of the current review provide suggestions to promote KT,
including placing more value on literature reviews and replication studies in
the research domain, teaching management students to value – but also critically
evaluate – evidence, and encouraging researchers to think practically about
their findings and practitioners to consider how their needs and experiences
might further research, all helping to bridge the science-practice gap.
We could think of evidence-based management
as a medication that has shown great potential in initial testing but needs
further trials to validate long-term use.
