Objectives

Develop a basic understanding of evidence-based practices for solving managerial problems. By the end of the course, you should have developed competencies on how to employ an evidence-based approach for defining problems as well as for identifying, testing, and evaluating potential solutions. You will also learn about academic research on selected topics. In short, this course aims to show how an evidence-based approach to problem-solving can improve managerial decision making. As a by-product, the obtained skills are helpful for writing Master’s theses.

Contents

We seek to (1) develop an understanding of an evidence-based approach to management and (2) learn the knowledge and skills for practicing evidence-based management. The key focus is on acquiring knowledge about how to employ evidence-based practices, in particular for collecting data in one’s company and for one’s own projects. The specific objectives are:

1) Understand the concepts of evidence-based management and a scientific problem solving cycle.

2) Develop procedural knowledge and skills for evidence-based management, in particular for using a scientific problem-solving cycle.

3) Practice evidence-based management through case studies.

Line-up of Sessions

1. Case: Rocket cycles: Does money make messengers pedal faster? – Introduction

2. Correlation and causality - Causal inference

3. Case: Truckin’ trouble - Evidence-based practices as problem-solving

4. Evidence-based management

5. Case: Elise Smart: What explains her performance? - Defining a problem

6. Managerial beliefs about leading and managing people - Reasons for and against evidence-based practices in management

7. Case: Guest complaints at the hotel: The consultant intervention - Developing solutions

8. Writing Master’s theses

9. Case: The working from home decision (A) - Types of evidence and criteria for evaluating them

10. Inferences about causality

11. Case: Windermere Manor: Sustainability and change - Experiments and causality

12. Case: The pay cut field experiment: How feelings of inequity affect employees’ theft - Quasi-experiments

13. Case: Kenexa: How to achieve competitive success through workforce? – Evaluating solutions: Basics

14. Course review

Evaluation

First attempt

Exam:

Without exam (cf. terms)  

Evaluation:

1. Class contribution (individual): 20%
2. Weekly assignment papers (individual): 65%
3. Assignment for the last class (individual): 15%

Retake

Exam:

Without exam (cf. terms)  

Evaluation:

To be eligible for a retake, students have to have submitted 10 weekly assignments. Eligible students who have a final grade of below 4.0 have to redo all assignments in which their grade was below 4.0.