Evidence-Based Innovation Blog

As a dean or program manager, there are often many things that you would like to improve in your graduate management or executive education program, but you do not have the resources to tackle all of them.

One of your biggest managerial challenges is to allocate your limited resources to where they will have to biggest impact. So how do you know where they will do the most good? Where can you "get the most bang for your buck?" One way to determine the best course of action is to conduct a Key Driver Analysis of your GME student surveys or executive education surveys.

November 1 2011 Update: Since this article was posted, we have since moved back the fielding year to July 1 - July 30 for the MBA Student Exit Survey. This email campaign message explains the reversal of the change.

We love your feedback!  

Over the course of the past seven years, we have had phone calls, email exchanges and in-person discussions with many of you about what you want from our MBA market research tools. Your input was the driving force behind our revamped Competitive Intelligence Reports for the MBA Student Entry Survey and MBA Student Exit Survey last year. And since that update, we have not stopped enhancing our offerings. We recently added a new Alumni Engagement Interest Summary to our MBA Student Exit Survey reports.

We want to continually expand the conversation and keep listening. That is why we are happy to announce that Percept Research is integrating UserVoice into our websites and user portals. UserVoice is a tool that enables users to post their suggestions for new features, vote on ideas and keep track of the features our team is developing for future releases.  

Starting in 2010, Percept Research is offering a new value-add deliverable to participating programs in the firm's MBA Student Exit Study called the Alumni Engagement Interest Summary. Within the Student Exit survey, graduating students are asked if they have interest in future participation with the MBA program as alumni in a range of areas such as a guest speaker, mentorship, offering internship, assist with information sessions, etc.  

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What is evidence-based management? Why is it important?

Evidence-based management (EBM) is a commitment to improve outcomes by using the current, best data to make management decisions. Management educators typically make limited use of the vast behavioral science evidence applicable to effective management practice. Often, business schools know what the best practices are, or have a very strong belief about what is needed to make their institution as effective as possible, but they do not have effective tools test their assumptions in order to effectively turn that knowledge into action.  

In many cases, common management "wisdom" is not wise at all but, instead, flawed knowledge based on biases and ideologies that are actually poor, incomplete, or obsolete. More seriously, managers may use this unreliable knowledge to make decisions that are hazardous to organizational health. Business schools can bolster performance and trump the competition through evidence-based management, an approach to decision-making and action that is driven by hard facts rather than half-truths or assumptions.