Evidence-Based Management: Concept Cleanup Time?

The term evidence-based management (EBMgt) is relatively new, though the idea of using research evidence to help make managerial decisions is not. In this paper we identify and clarify a number of common misconceptions about EBMgt. Rather than a single rigid method, EBMgt is a family of approaches that support decision making. It is something done by practitioners, not scholars, although scholars have a critical role to play in helping to provide the infrastructure required for EBMgt. Properly conducted systematic reviews that summarize in an explicit way what is known and not known about a specific practice-related questions are a cornerstone of EBMgt.