Transforming Leadership at Big Bank (evidence based management)

The evidence-based management (EBMgt) framework (e.g., Barends et al., 2014; Briner et al., 2009; Briner & Rousseau, 2011) includes critical reflection on each of the following main components: ethics and stakeholder concerns, practitioner judgement and expertise, local data and experimentation, and principles and evidence derived from formal research (“scientific” or alternative approaches). This broad framework can be used to help analyze case studies and applied problems in any domain (Gamble & Jelley, 2014). For Bus 2880, there are opportunities to apply your knowledge of research methods within this broad framework. Examples of general use of the framework and Bus 2880-specific ideas follow.

 Ethics and stakeholder concerns: Are there legal, moral, or values-based concerns that need to be considered? Have you considered the concerns of everybody who might be affected by the decision?
 Practitioner judgment and expertise: Do you (or does a protagonist in a case) have experience dealing with issues similar to those presented? How relevant is that experience in the present circumstances? How much trust can you place in the “expertise” that has been developed?

o For a Bus 2880 case, this component would normally be considered from the perspective of people described in the case (vs. your personal experience). The key idea is that all components, including this one, are both respected and considered critically.
 Local data and experimentation: What evidence exists in the organization that is relevant to your deliberations? What is the quality of that evidence? What additional evidence is needed? How could you conduct a study to gather such evidence?
o A Bus 2880 case may include statistics from analyses of internal data/studies, but not datasets that must be analyzed statistically.
o For a Bus 2880 case, you may need to propose a research project to gather required information, outlining relevant details of your proposed research. Data collection is not part of the Bus 2880 case competition.
 Formal research: To what extent do existing theories, principles, and research evidence provide perspective on the situation at hand – e.g., its potential causes, consequences, and intervention strategies? How strong and how relevant is the existing knowledge?
o In Bus 2880, we expect that students will conduct literature searches, using skills you refined in the course, to find high-quality, relevant evidence to inform their analysis and recommendations.