Faculty reactions (and resistance) to the teaching of Evidence-Based Management. Neil Walshe AOM Annual Meeting 2014 Philadelphia

1. Faculty reactions (and resistance)
to the teaching of
Evidence Based Management
Neil D. Walshe – University of San Francisco
Rob B. Briner – University of Bath

2. 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 delivered
Ranked 7th in School of Management both years
Wait…

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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…

6. 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:

7. Formal resistance…
GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address
A review of all course materials
A review of all course assignments
A review of course grade distribution
A review of student learning and satisfaction*
A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

8. Fantastic!

9. Formal resistance…
GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address
A review of all course materials
A review of all course assignments
A review of course grade distribution
A review of student learning and satisfaction*
A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

10. Formal resistance…
GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address
A review of all course materials
A review of all course assignments
A review of course grade distribution
A review of student learning and satisfaction*
A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

11. Formal resistance…
GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address
A review of all course materials
A review of all course assignments
A review of course grade distribution
A review of student learning and satisfaction*
A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

12. Formal resistance…
GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address
A review of all course materials
A review of all course assignments
A review of course grade distribution
A review of student learning and satisfaction*
A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

13. Formal resistance…
GPC blocked, by vote (6/2), offering the class pending review to address
A review of all course materials
A review of all course assignments
A review of course grade distribution
A review of student learning and satisfaction*
A review of syllabai from comparable institutions

14. Faculty resistance…
The review hearing:
Crash course in EBP & EBMgt
Syllabai review and design rationale
Student learning measures
CAT summaries from all classes to date
Student testimonials (LE, Google, FB, Apple)
An appeal…

15. 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?

16. 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”

17. 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?”

18. 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”

19. 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”.

20. 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”.

21. 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.

22. 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”)

23. 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.