Postgraduate Course 4. Evidence-based management: Step 1: Formulate a focused question

Postgraduate Course 5-step approach EBMgt is a 5-step approach 1.Formulate an answerable question (PICOC) 2.Search for the best available evidence 3.Critical appraise the quality of the found evidence 4.Integrate the evidence with managerial expertise and organizational concerns and apply 5.Monitor and evaluate the results

Postgraduate Course Asking the right question? A B C Experience with Condition Knowledge needs depend on experience with condition

Postgraduate Course Focused question?  Does team-building work?  Does the introduction of self-steering teams work?  Does management development improve the performance of managers?  Does employee participation prevent resistance to change?  Is 360 degree feedback effective?

Postgraduate Course  What is a ‘team’?  What kind of teams?  In what contexts/settings?  What counts as ‘team-building’?  What does ‘work’ mean?  What outcomes are relevant?  Over what time periods? Foreground question?  Does team-building work?

Postgraduate Course P =Population I = Intervention (or success factor) C = Comparison O = Outcome C = Context Answerable question: PICOC

Postgraduate Course Answerable question: PICOC Imagine you are a consultant, your client is the board of directors of a large Canadian health-care organization. The board of directors has plans for a merger with a smaller healthcare organization in a nearby town. However, it’s been said that the organizational culture differs widely between the two organizations. The board of directors asks you if this culture-difference can impede a successful outcome of a merger. Most of them intuitively sense that cultural differences matter, but they want an evidence-based advice.

Postgraduate Course Answerable question: PICOC What else would you like to know?

Postgraduate Course Answerable question: PICOC P: What kind of Population are we talking about? Middle managers, back-office employees, medical staff, clerical staff? O: What kind of Outcome are we aiming for? Employee productivity, return on investment, profit margin, competitive position, innovation power, market share, customer satisfaction? P/C: And how is the assumed cultural difference assessed? Is it the personal view of some managers or is it measured by a validated instrument?

Postgraduate Course According to the board the objective of the merger is to integrate the back-office of the two organizations (ICT, finance, purchasing, facilities, personnel administration, etc.) in order to create economy of scale. The front offices and primary process of the two organizations will remain separate. The cultural difference is not objectively assessed (it is the perception of the senior managers of both organizations). Answerable question: PICOC

Postgraduate Course P =back office employees I = merger, integration back office C = status quo O = economy of scale C = healthcare, different organizational culture, unequal Answerable question: PICOC