In Search of Evidence

Managers’ Attitudes and Perceived Barriers
barriers towards evidence-based management, we believe that universities and PhD
programs play an important role.
LIMITATIONS
Despite achieving some notable insights, this study — as with any — has some
limitations. Our sample was not random and instead self-selecting. In addition, the
response rate of our survey for the American sample was just 3%, and the
response rate for the Belgian-Dutch sample was 30%. We do not have information
about the managers and consultants who did not respond. Their lack of response
may have been due to a negative attitude towards the use of research findings or
skepticism towards evidence-based management. All this makes our findings prone
to selection bias.
Another shortcoming of our survey is the definition of the target population.
The various definitions of the term ‘manager’ that are used in the literature cannot
be operationalized objectively, as practitioners in our field use different titles and
job descriptions. In addition, management is not a profession, which means the
domain is not regulated, and managers are not required to join a professional
association. Objective inclusion criteria are hence not available. Our findings may
therefore not be representative of all those with the title of manager.
Finally, as our survey used a self-rating questionnaire, the possibility of a socialdesirability
bias should be considered.
CONCLUSIONS
According to our findings, evidence-based management is welcomed by
managers. This is particularly the case for those who feel that findings from
research are of practical relevance and believe that by using evidence-based
management they can improve the quality of their work. This is in contrast to the
widespread belief that managers perceive research findings to have insufficient
relevance.
However, lack of time and a limited understanding of scientific research are
major barriers to the uptake and implementation of evidence-based management.
Notably, studies within other professions where evidence-based practice is far more
established than management report the same barriers. This suggests that
managers tend to follow a typical pattern, rather than proving markedly different
from practitioners in other fields.
In order to enhance the use and adoption of evidence-based management,
organizations need to promote a culture that facilitates practitioners to dedicate