• Show a broad knowledge of theories and concepts within Evidence-Based Management e.g. critical thinking, evaluation of evidence, bias, etc. and to be able to apply these in relation to managerial or organizational problems problems.
• Be able to define a problem and carry out an empirical project that has managerial relevance for managers or organizations.
• Be able to critically discuss, reflect on and argue for the coherence of the project's problem formulation, analysis, and conclusions.
• To critically reflect on the practical implications of the project's analyzes – at a managerial, organizational as well as societal level.

Decision-making is one of the most fundamental activities that define the role of managers. Henry Mintzberg proclaimed that “No job is more vital to our society than that of the manager. It is the manager who determines whether our social institutions serve us well or whether they squander our talents and resources.”

Every manager has to make decisions which can determine the fate of people, projects, and organizations. Evidence-based management (EBM) can assist managers in their decision making by facilitating a process that procure evidence for multiple sources and synthesise them into “the best available evidence”.

EBM is an evolution in the practice of management. It is a knowledge-intensive, capacity-building way to think, act, organize, and lead. Its practice incorporates:

(1) use of scientific principles in decisions and management processes,

(2) systematic attention to organizational facts,
(3) advancements in practitioner judgment through critical thinking and decision aids that reduce bias, and

(4) ethical considerations including effects on stakeholders.

EBM is a no-fad, no-fluff approach to developing better managers, and leading to more effective and adaptive organizations through better decision making.

The course provides a balanced mix of formal theory, critical thinking, and hands-on experience.

The literature can be changed before the semester starts. Students are advised to find the final literature on Canvas before they access the literature.

Books and book Chapters

Barends, Eric. and Rosseau, Denise (2018). Evidence-Based Management, Kogan Page, London, UK.

Cooper, D. R., Schindler, P. S., & Sun, J. (2013). Business research methods, New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Rousseau, Denise. (2012). The Oxford handbook of evidence-based management.

Kahneman, Daniel. (2012): Thinking - Fast and Slow, Penguin Books ltd.

Kahneman, Daniel, Sibony, Olivier. and Sunstein, Cass (2021): Noise - A Flaw in Human Judgement. William Collins Selected

Research Articles

Banks, G. C., Pollack, J. (2016): Management’s science–practice gap: A grand Challenge for all stakeholders, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 59, No. 6, 2205–2231.

Briner, R. B., Denyer, D., & Rousseau, D. M. (2009). Evidence-based management: concept clean-up time? The Academy of Management Perspectives, 23(4), 19-32.

Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas (2020): Are You Still Prioritizing Intuition Over Data? Harvard business review.

Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of management review, 14(4), 532-550.

Ioannidis,  John P. A (2005): Why Most Published Research Findings Are False, PLoS Medicine, August 2005, Volume 2, Issue 8.

Kepes, S., Bennett, A. and McDaniel, M. (2014): Evidence-Based Management and the Trustworthiness of Our Cumulative Scientific Knowledge: Implications for Teaching, Research, and Practice. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 2014, Vol. 13, No. 3, 446–466.

Klimoski, R. and Amos, B. (2012). "Practicing evidence-based education in leadership development," Academy of Management Learning and Education, ISSN 1537260X, 11(4): 685-702.

Likierman, Andrew (2020): The Elements of Good Judgement: How to improve your decision-making, Harvard Business Review, January–February.

Martelli, Peter F. Tuna Cem Hayirli, (2018) "Three perspectives on evidence-based management: rank, fit, variety", Management Decision.

Pfeffer, J., & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Evidence-based management. Harvard business review, 84(1), 62-74.

Pfeffer, J. and Sutton, R. (2006). "Profiting from evidence-based management," Strategy and Leadership, ISSN 1087-8572, 34(2): 35-42

Rousseau, Denise (2006). Is there such a thing as “evidence-based management”? Academy of Management Review, 31(2), 256-269.

Tversky, Amos and Kahneman, Danie (1974) Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases, Science, New Series, Vol. 185, No. 4157. pp. 1124-1131.

Wodarski, J. S., & Hopson, L. M. (2011). Research methods for evidence-based practice. Sage. (Chapter 1), pp. 1-17.