This episode accompanies the last module of the course – module 15, which is all about building an evidence-based management capacity in organisations.  There are 3 levels – you as an evidence-based manager; your colleagues who you can influence and guide in evidence based approaches; and the skills, practices and processes in your organisation. We hear from several experts about ways to build on what you’ve learned, and how others have approached the development of evidence-based practices...

This episode accompanies Module 14 of the course, which is about evaluating the outcome of the decision we’ve taken or the solution we implemented. This is the last stage of our evidence-based management process and is vital to ensuring that we learn from what we’ve done. Assessing outcomes is vital, because otherwise, how do we know if what we did was effective, and how can we learn and develop our approach to decision making?  Did we capture a baseline before the decision was implemented?...

This episode accompanies Module 13 of the course, which is about incorporating evidence into the decision making process. Is the evidence appropriate for our situation (is it generalizable). Can we (and should we) action  the evidence? And what are the practical aspects associated with using the evidence that we’ve gathered? The real world is messy and complex, so there are many things to take into consideration. We share real world examples  from professional HR body CIPD, Creelman...

This episode accompanies Module 12 of the course, which is about how we bring together the various sources of evidence that we've gathered. The purpose of taking an evidence-based approach is to reduce uncertainty in our decision making, looking at likelihoods and probabilities to guide our thinking and discussions. The use of Bayes rule and Bayesian thinking are explored, so that we continue to protect ourselves from falling prey to bias (particularly confirmation bias), but that we...

This episode accompanies Module 11 of the course, which is about appraising evidence from stakeholders – the people affected by our decision or the people who are able to influence it. The acquisition of this evidence is covered in Module 10 and its corresponding podcast episode. In this episode we are reminded that sometimes we engage with certain parties as practitioners (those with experience in the problem or solution we’re working with) and sometimes as stakeholders – with feelings and...

This episode accompanies Module 10 of the course, which is about acquiring evidence from stakeholders – the people affected by our decision or the people who are able to influence it. The appraisal of this evidence is covered in Module 11 and its corresponding podcast episode. In this episode we explore the nature and extent of stakeholder individuals and groups – from governments and regulators, to organisational shareholders, the people implementing the decision and those that will live...

This episode accompanies Module 9 of the course, which is about the appraisal of the data, information and evidence gathered within the organisation. The acquisition of this evidence is covered in Module 8 and its corresponding podcast episode. In this episode we continue to consider some of the wider aspects associated with the use of organisational data. Why we can’t take it’s quality for granted; how it can be highly misleading if we don’t know where it comes from and how it’s created, and...

This episode accompanies Module 8 of the course, which is about the data, information and evidence gathered within the organisation to aid our multi-source evidenced-based decision making. The appraisal of this evidence is covered in Module 9 and its corresponding podcast episode. In this episode we consider some of the things we need to think about before either using existing organisational data or collecting data specifically geared to address our question or area of interest. As with...

This episode accompanies Module 7 of the course, which is about judging the quality of the evidence from the scientific literature that we’ve identified during our earlier searching. This module aligns to chapter 7 of the Evidence-Based Management book. Modules 5, 6 and 7 all focus on the scientific literature, so when you listen to the corresponding podcast episodes, the picture will hopefully be complete.  In this episode we look at the process of learning how to appraise the studies, and...

This episode accompanies Module 6 of the course, which is an introduction to the scientific literature that can be used as part of our evidence-based management decision making. This module aligns to chapter 5 of the Evidence-Based Management book. Modules 5, 6 and 7 all focus on the scientific literature, so when you listen to their corresponding podcast episodes, the picture will hopefully become more complete.  In this episode we look at different aspects of the scientific world – what...

This episode accompanies Module 5 of the course, which focuses on gathering evidence from the scientific literature (academic studies) that will help us address the question we are trying to answer. This module aligns to chapter 6 of the Evidence-Based Management book. Modules 5, 6 and 7 all focus on the scientific literature, so when you listen to their corresponding podcast episodes, the picture will hopefully become more complete.  In this episode we discuss the process of searching for...

This episode accompanies Module 4 of the course, which is all about assessing the quality and reliability of the evidence from practitioners – people who have experience with the problem we are tackling, or the solutions we are considering.  Modules 4 and 3 are difficult to separate fully, so please refer to episode 3 of the podcast for the rest of the discussion about practitioners. In this episode we discuss the impact of the most important biases and talk about how to be alert to our own...

This episode accompanies Module 3 of the course, which is all about acquiring evidence from practitioners – people who have experience with the problem we are tackling, or the solutions we are considering.  Modules 3 and 4 are somewhat intertwined, so the rest of the discussion about practitioner evidence will be in Episode 4. In this episode we consider the choice of practitioners (people with expertise, not just opinions) and how we gather information from them. Asking questions (the focus...

This episode accompanies Module 2 of the course, which is all about asking questions – critical questions to understand what the problem is that we are trying to solve. This is because so often in organisations we leap to solutions without being clear what the problem is. This approach can be driven by a desire to do “stuff”, to get things done and to feel that we are making progress. But how many times is a solution delivered and it doesn’t seem to do the trick? Maybe that’s because not...

This episode accompanies Module 1 of the course which covers the basic principles of evidence-based management and gives an overview of the steps involved in taking this approach.  Everyone uses evidence when making decisions, right? But only one source, or many? And are those sources assessed for their reliability and trustworthiness? Are we actively trying to identify the biases that so often lead us down the wrong path? There is a fundamental problem with how many decisions are...

This episode gives a background to the course - how it was created, its founding principles, the science behind the “learning by doing” approach used by the course (which shows that it is evidence-based!), and how to get the best out of it. The course design recognizes that students come from a variety of backgrounds and have different experience and perspectives. Some study as a preparation for a career in management, while others are already managers who want to make better decisions and...

Show notes Welcome to the Evidence-Based Management podcast – dedicated to those studying evidence based practice in the field of management. This episode introduces the regular podcast contributors – those that have been writing, teaching, practicing and promoting evidence based management for the last 20 years. They are all authors of the online course and the book that accompanies it. We hear about how they became interested in this practice, why they are passionate about it, and where we...