In Search of Evidence

Chapter 6
Introduction
Evidence-based practice is about making decisions through the
conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the best available evidence from
multiple sources to increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome. This
evidence may come from scientific research, but data, facts and figures from
local organizations and even professional experience also constitutes evidence.
The idea of evidence-based practice is now well known in many areas of
professional practice, including medicine, policing, policy-making, and criminal
justice. In the domain of management the attention given to the scientific
evidence underpinning therories, models and interventions is also growing.
Studies of success and failure, and what does and what does not work, are
important to management practice. It is therefore most important that these
studies stand up to academic scrutiny and claim only what they can empirically
substantiate (Poolman, Kerkhoffs, Struijs, & Bhandari, 2007). The domain of
management, however, has a questionable reputation regarding the
methodological rigor of studies on ‘what works’, especially when it concerns
those that are at the basis of popular management books. An obvious example
is Peters and Waterman’s study ‘In Search of Excellence’. This work was the
basis for a book that turned out to be the biggest-selling management book
ever, achieving sales of 3 million copies in its first four years. Just two years after
the book was published, however, one third of the companies that the
researchers claimed to be ‘excellent’ turned out to be in serious financial
difficulties. Later, the researchers admitted that the selection of ‘excellent’
companies had been made on a relatively superficial basis; consultants from
McKinsey were simply asked which companies should be regarded as ‘the
shining stars’ in the sectors with which they were familiar. Other well-known
examples are Collins’ research on ‘Good-to-Great’ organizations (Collins, 2001)
and, more recently, De Waal’s study into ‘High-Performance Organizations’ (De
Waal, 2012). All these studies and the ensuing books had a major impact on
management practice but then fell prey to serious criticism (Rosenzweig, 2007).
Management books that entice managers with an intuitively appealing quick
fix based on research that lacks scientific rigor must be addressed critically in
order to keep the sector healthy. Or, put more positively: exposing bad science
and explaining what constitutes valid and reliable research will help managers
to be more critical consumers of new business ideas. In most cases research in
our sector concerns primary studies such as randomized controlled studies,
cross-sectional surveys or case studies, but secondary studies such as meta-