Faculty reactions (and resistance)

to the teaching of Evidence Based Management

Neil D. Walshe – University of San FranciscoRob B. Briner – University of Bath

Overview

Introduced EBMgt as a 2 unit (24 contact hours) graduate elective

After three classes and 90 students (on a scale from 1 to 6):

“How useful will this class be in your work” 5.9“Was this a positive learning experience” 5.9“Should other students in your program to take this course” 6.0

Highest ranked graduate elective both years deliveredRanked 7th in School of Management both years

Wait…

Faculty resistance to EBMgt…

The problem:

EBMgt students contacted their future professors asking what evidence base they would be drawing upon in their forthcoming class and to what extent support and source materials would be provided.

EBMgt students also contacted past professors asking them for clarification, confirmation and provision of evidence from past classes which supported the conclusions drawn from that class.

Faculty resistance to EBMgt…

The problem:

EBMgt students contacted their future professors asking what evidence base they would be drawing upon in their forthcoming class and to what extent support and source materials would be provided.

EBMgt students also contacted past professors asking them for clarification, confirmation and provision of evidence from past classes which supported the conclusions drawn from that class.

Faculty resistance to EBMgt…[2]

Q: What evidence do you have that this is a “problem”?Q: For whom is it a problem?

Concern was directed at the volume of inquiries relating to the “evidence” behind their specific classes was being questioned.

It was taking up lots of time.

It was perceived as a slight on their teaching ability and academic credibility

Wait…

Behind the resistance…

Faculty resistance was towards “evidence”, “evidence based management” and in turn the student awareness to the role of evidence in management education…or the lack thereof.

What is this?Why should I care?Why should I change?Why is what I’m doing all of a sudden wrong?

These are not irrational concerns

Formal and informal resistance were present:

Formal resistance…

GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address

A review of all course materialsA review of all course assignments A review of course grade distributionA review of student learning and satisfaction*A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

Fantastic!

Formal resistance…

GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address

A review of all course materialsA review of all course assignments A review of course grade distributionA review of student learning and satisfaction*A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

Formal resistance…

GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address

A review of all course materialsA review of all course assignments A review of course grade distributionA review of student learning and satisfaction*A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

Formal resistance…

GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address

A review of all course materialsA review of all course assignments A review of course grade distributionA review of student learning and satisfaction*A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

Formal resistance…

GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address

A review of all course materialsA review of all course assignments A review of course grade distributionA review of student learning and satisfaction*A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

Formal resistance…

GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address

A review of all course materialsA review of all course assignments A review of course grade distributionA review of student learning and satisfaction*A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

Faculty resistance…

The review hearing:

Crash course in EBP & EBMgtSyllabai review and design rationaleStudent learning measuresCAT summaries from all classes to dateStudent testimonials (LE, Google, FB, Apple)An appeal…

Informal resistance…

If you want an answer, ask a question:

1. To what extent are you aware of EBMgt?

2. Do you think EBMgt should be part of the Management curriculum? Why?

3. What benefits or concerns do you have with the inclusion of EBMgt in the Management curriculum?

Informal resistance…[2]

• “EBMgt is an academic construct which has no relevance or practicality to graduate student populations (MBA/ExecMBA)”

• “That faculty already do use “evidence” in the way of “research”

• “EBMgt is a fad and has little evidence behind it”

• “That EBMgt / EBP is too new a concept to include in curriculum”

• “That the inference of EBMgt is that everything else is not evidence based”

Informal resistance…[3]

• “It is too difficult to produce sources for eveything we teach”

• “EBMgt is limiting the scope for me as an instructor to apply my experience to theory and research”

• “Management is art, not science. Evidence is about black and white, true and false. That's not how management education operates. You can't teach that”

• “EBMgt ignores instructor experience and intuition in the classroom. It leaves the professor outside the door. People want a classroom to be a place where experiences are shared, not just facts”

• “Cal, Stanford or LSE aren't doing it so why should we?”

Informal resistance…[3]

• “EBMgt is a threat to academic freedom. It is just one way of framing the Mgt literature. It doesn't mean my way is less right just because there isn't evidence”

• “EBMgt should be called Research Informed Management. We all use research - this isn’t anything new”

• “EBMgt means we have to re-do syllabai in light of what IT SAYS. Why doesn't it have to revise what it teaches in light of what WE SAY”

So what?

• Students of EBMgt appear to be empowered to question professors, current and past, about their views and commitment to evidence in the classroom.

• Educators, be they supporters of evidence-based practice or not, are gatekeepers to academic curricula. Their influence should not be discounted.

• There appears to be the potential for faculty to be fearful of both “evidence” and “evidence based management”.

So what?

• Students of EBMgt appear to be empowered to question professors, current and past, about their views and commitment to evidence in the classroom.

• Educators, be they supporters of evidence-based practice or not, are gatekeepers to academic curricula. Their influence should not be discounted.

• There appears to be the potential for faculty to be fearful of both “evidence” and “evidence based management”.

So what? [2]

The principle basis for these fears appear to stem from a belief that EBMgt:

• Is a threat to the idea of academic freedom

• Is purely academic issue that has little or no relevance to students involved in the practice of management

• Is the enemy of innovation, creativity and the process of intellectual interpretation (for students).

• Is difficult to do, time consuming and outside of the traditional academic role.

Some unsolicited advice…

The field of Evidence-Based Management may need to pay greater attention towards the specific education of faculty in management schools. Efforts may need to be directed towards informing educators on:

• (a) The specific motivations and goals of Evidence-Based Management

• (b) The potential benefits (and limitations!) of an evidence-based practice within the field of management education.

• (c) The extent to which evidence-based practice is present not just in other fields of practice but in other academic disciplines (e.g. it is not “new”)

Moving forward…

There is a need to create a priming process for EBMgt:

Doing so may:

• Limit faculty fears around the threat of evidence• Increase the legitimacy of EBMgt (and hopefully its adoption)• Preserve the legitimacy of educator’s specific beliefs and frameworks

of how management is taught.