On the role of Evidence-based Management in Executive Education: DBA Programs Vishwanath Baba McMaster University Farimah HakemZadeh Wilfrid Laurier University

On the role of Evidence-based Management in Executive Education: DBA Programs What is DBA? Who is it for? Participants, Users What roles do DBAs play and where? What value DBAs add and to whom? What should they be trained in? What is the role of evidence-based management in their training? How can evidence-based management help them in their work?

Role of EBMgt in a DBA Program Assumptions: DBA is a degree designed primarily for MBAs who have had considerable work experience. The program gives them an intellectual framework to reflect on their experience. Based on that reflection, they pose questions for which they wished they had answers for when they were making managerial decisions. Given their exposure to management research, they prepare a Systematic Review as a response for a managerially relevant research question. Acceptance of the Systematic Review by the EBMgt collaboration will be the equivalent of a publication. Downloads and use will be the equivalent of a citation.

Theory of Evidence Evidence-based Management and Systematic Review Evidence Formal Knowledge Experiential Knowledge Situational Knowledge Technical Knowledge System atic Review

What is evidence-based management? Evidence-based management is about making decisions through the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of information gleaned from practitioner expertise and judgment, evidence from the local context, a critical evaluation of the best available research evidence, and the perspectives of those people who might be affected by the decision. (Briner, Denyer, Rousseau, 2009)

What value can the DBA student offer? Evidence-based management is about making decisions through the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of information gleaned from practitioner expertise and judgment, evidence from the local context, a critical evaluation of the best available research evidence, and the perspectives of those people who might be affected by the decision. (Briner, Denyer, Rousseau, 2009)

ValueStrength Templa te System atic Review Eviden ce Collaborat ion What is the guiding model for Systematic Review?

Theo ry of rigou r Theory of releva nce Theory of actionabi lity Theor y of eviden ce Value Strength Templa te Theory of Collaborat ion System atic Review Eviden ce Theoretical underpinnings of the guiding model

How can the DBA enable Evidence-based Management? Ongoing consultations with practicing professionals make research questions more relevant to the practice of the profession. Sound formal research training contributes to rigorous exploration of research questions. Practical insights gleaned through collaboration between researchers and professionals contribute to a systematic review of information that supports managerial decision. Systematic reviews offer evidence from research that is actionable. When evidence-based management becomes established practice, the organization becomes a learning organization. Sound management practice allows for the development of grounded theory. Professions become stronger when guiding theory is both influential and enduring.

Professio nal Consultat ion Sound Training Professio nal Collabora tion Systemat ic Review Learning Organizat ion Strong Professio n How can the DBA enable Evidence-based Management?

Decision quality and decision outcome The ability to use evidence combined with the motivation and the opportunity to use it in making managerial decisions prompts one to seek evidence. Rigorous research evidence is combined with relevant local evidence in producing an actionable Systematic Review. This should be a necessary input to managerial decision. The quality of a managerial decision is determined by the manner in which the evidence is interpreted by the manager. Such interpretation is a function of the manager’s foundational knowledge and domain knowledge coupled with experience. Stronger the evidence, relevant the domain knowledge and experience, and current the foundational knowledge, higher will be the quality of the decision. The value of the decision outcome will be influenced by the effectiveness of its implementation.

Propositions on the Working of Evidence-based Management from Decision to Outcome 1.The ability to use evidence, the motivation to look for evidence and the opportunity to use it in managerial decision making result in evidence- seeking behavior. 2.Codification of evidence is a judicious and selective combination of the best research available on the topic, organizational and experiential observations from the field tempered by challenges to dominant views. 3.The constructive use of evidence in making decisions is conditioned by the foundational knowledge of the decision makers, their domain expertise, and organizational experience. Together they determine the quality of the decision made. 4.Decision quality is necessary for an effective outcome but not sufficient. 5.The efficacy of the decision outcome is a function of how it is implemented. 6. The incompleteness of knowledge, indeterminacy of decisions, and the imperfectness of implementation influence the efficacy of the decision outcome.

Decision Quality and Decision Outcome Incompleteness of Knowledge, Indeterminacy of Decisions, Imperfectness of Implementation Abili ty X Motiva tion X Opport unity Foundatio nal Knowledg e Domain Knowledg e, Experience

Recommendation Evidence-based management should be the driving paradigm for the DBA curriculum.