This document discusses evidence-based management and decision making. It defines evidence-based practice as focusing on improving decision quality through a process of forming questions, searching for evidence, critically appraising evidence, integrating evidence with expertise, and assessing outcomes. The document provides examples of how pilot Chesley Sullenberger exemplified evidence-based decision making when landing a plane in the Hudson River by relying on scientific findings, organizational facts and checklists, considering decisions carefully, and taking responsibility for all stakeholders. It outlines five good habits for evidence-based practice in both management and teaching.

1. Postgraduate Course
Evidence based management:
What is it?

2. Evidence?
outcome of scientific research,
organizational facts & data,
benchmarking, best practices,
collective experience, personal
experience, intuition

3. All managers base their
decisions on ‘evidence’

4. However ...

5. Many managers pay little
or no attention to the quality
of the evidence they base
their decisions on

6. Trust me, 20 years of
management experience

7. SO ...

8. Teach managers how to
critically evaluate the validity,
and generalizability of the
evidence and help them find
‘the best available’ evidence

9. Postgraduate Course
Evidence-based decision

10. Postgraduate Course
EBP is a means to improve
decision quality.
It’s a career, not a course.

11. Postgraduate Course
Evidence-based practice:
 Focuses on the decision making process
 Thinks in terms of probability (instead of
golden bullets).

12. Postgraduate Course
Multidisciplinary: Incorporate and aggregate information
from different sources (regardless of their origin)
Adaptable: Update (or change) their decision when
newer or better information becomes available
Self-critical: Acknowledge the limitations of their
abilities and are cautious not to be overconfident
Cautious: Express their predictions in probabilistic
terms and consider multiple options.
Empirical: Rely more on observation than theory
Evidence-based managers are

13. Postgraduate Course
The 5 steps of EBP
1. Formulate a focused question (Ask)
2. Search for the best available evidence (Acquire)
3. Critically appraise the evidence (Appraise)
4. Integrate the evidence with your professional
expertise and apply (Apply)
5. Monitor the outcome (Assess)

14. Postgraduate Course
Intuition or evidence-based decision?

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 Chesley Sullenberger, USAIR pilot, has been a
visiting scholar at UC Berkeley’s Collaborative
for Catastrophic Risk Management since 2007
 Does research on how to make decisions to
maintain safety despite technological
complexity and crisis conditions
1. Use of Scientific Findings

16. Postgraduate Course
 Has written and analyzed aviation accident
reports for over 20 years
2. Reliance on Reliable and Valid
Organizational Facts

17. Postgraduate Course
 Used Decision Aids to Support Good Decision: As Sully
considered what decision to make that day, he had his
copilot review and follow all checklists on board
relevant to crash landings
 Formal Education to Prime His Skills: Sully is a graduate
of the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds masters
degrees from both Purdue University in Industrial
Psychology and the University of Northern Colorado in
Public Administration
3. Mindful Decision Making &
Decision Awareness

18. Postgraduate Course
 The last person to leave the plane, Chesley
Sullenberger twice walked the plane’s aisle to
check all passengers were off
 Sully’s last act onboard was to grab the
passenger list. Used on-shore to verify rescue
of all passengers and crew
4. Ethics and Responsibility to
Stakeholders

19. Postgraduate Course
In Sullenberger’s Own Words…
“One way of looking at this might be that
for 42 years, I've been making small,
regular deposits in this bank of experience,
education and training.
And on January 15, the balance was sufficient
so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

20. Postgraduate Course
1. Get Evidence into the Conversation
2. Use Relevant Scientific Evidence
3. Use Reliable and Valid Business Facts
4. Become “Decision Aware” and Use
Appropriate Processes
5. Reflect on Decision’s Ethical and Stakeholder
Implications
Five Good EBP Habits

21. Postgraduate Course
1. Set learning goals (2-5)
2. Pre-test: where does learner stand on learning goal before
course?
3. Build opportunities for practicing those learnings throughout
course (curriculum)
4. Post-test: Measure progress on each learning goal and provide
feedback
5. Feedback & Redesign: Use feedback to make course more
effective over time
Five Good EBP Teaching Habits