Value of Evidence Based Management When Proposing Change

Introduction

Most management decisions are not based on the best available evidence. Instead, practitioners often prefer to make decisions rooted solely in their personal experience, industry “best practices”, what other companies are doing, etc. However, these are not a very reliable source of evidence because of our susceptibility to systematic errors, which affects the quality of our decisions. In order to improve the quality of business decision making and the effectiveness of those decisions, there is the need for Evidence based management (EBM)

Evidence based management

Evidence-based practice is about making decisions through the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the best available evidence from multiple sources by asking, acquiring, appraising, aggregating, applying, assessing to increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome.

Principles of ebm

Face the hard facts, and. Be committed to “fact based” decision makingTreat your organization as an unfinished prototype Look for the risks and drawbacks in what people recommend Avoid basing decisions on untested but strongly held beliefs,

Advantages of ebm to manager

More informed and effective decision making;an enhanced ability to align human resource practice with the strategic goals of the organization;HR policy and practice can be based upon what works, rather than what is thought to work;improved credibility for the discipline of human resource practice and for practitioners;More analytical approach based on existing information, data, analytics and statistics already likely to be held within the organization or sector;more consistent decision making and interventions andeffective management of risk.The intuitive response (IR) vs. evidence based HR practice (EBHRP)

Evidence and Why We Need It

Evidence-Based PracticeEvidenceValue of Evidence-Based Management

Translate Problem or IssueFrame the Problem

Asking

Acquiring

The process used to search and retrieve evidence This process requires systematic review of the evidence

APPRAISING

 Appraisal is the methodology of assessing evidence in efforts to determine value, relevance and trustworthiness. Critical assessment or appraisal assesses the study and looks for validity and relevance to the topic overall.

Questions that may be asked during the appraisal period:Is the evidence derived from a valued source?Has the evidence been evaluated? Who has evaluated it?Is the evidence up-to-date?(Cebma, 2006)

Gathering Evidence & Weighing the Results.

Aggregating

Critically judge the trustworthiness of the evidence.Set aside personal biases or influential opinions from others while weighing the results.Make sure the evidence is “good”. Determine that the evidence is applicable to the desired assessment.Avoid misleading information or influencers that have a stake in the aggregation outcome.

Applying

Application of Evidence is Only as Good as the Implementer.

Assessed Relevant Information + Decision = Application

Assessing

Sources of Evidence

Best Available Evidence

Asking- translating a practical issue/problemAcquiring-searching for and retrieving the evidenceAppraising-looking over the trust worthiness of the evidenceAggregating-weighing and pulling together the evidenceApplying-the evidence into the decision-making processAssessing-evaluating the outcome of the decision

Data, facts and figures gathered from the organization

Image 1: Organizational evidenceRetrieved from: bookdepository.com

Organizational Evidence

The professional experience and judgment of practitioners

Image 2: Practitioner evidenceRetrieved from: Andeal.org

Practitioner Evidence

The values and concerns of people who may be affected by the decision

Image 3: Stakeholder evidenceRetrieved from: cebma.org

Stakeholder Evidence

Critical

Appraisal

Evidence can be misleading and should be evaluated for trustworthiness and relevance

Where and how was the evidence gathered?Is this evidence the best available?Is there enough evidence to reach a conclusion?Is this evidence bias?

Misconceptions about EBM

Ignores the practitioner’s professional experienceAll about numbers and statisticsManagers don’t have time for evidence based practiceUsefulness of evidence is limitedHigh quality evidence is necessaryThe answer to the problem depends quality of evidence

Barends, E., Rousseau, D., & Briner, R. (2014). Evidence-Based Management: The Basic Principles. Retrieved from https://www.cebma.org/wp-content/uploads/Evidence-Based-Practice-The-Basic-Principles-vs-Dec-2015.pdfBriner, R., Denyer, D., Rousseau. (2009). Evidence-Based Management: Concept Cleanup Time? Academy of Management Perspectives. 23(4), 19-32. Retrieved from https://www-jstor-org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/stable/pdf/27747540.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A88b7de782f1f510a628a46835ec17424Cohen, F. (2012). Evidence-based management. The Journal of Medical Practice Management : MPM, 27(5), 286-9. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/1243050386?accountid=134061A definition of evidence-based management « Center for Evidence Based Management. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cebma.org/a-definition-of-evidence-based-management/Spacey, J. (2015). Simplicable.com; What is problem framing?. Retrieved from https://simplicable.com/new/problem-framingImage 1: Retrieved from, bookdepository.comImage 2: Retrieved from, andeal.orgImage 3: Retrieved from, cebma.org

References