From Passively Received Wisdom to Actively Constructed Knowledge: Teaching Systematic Review Skills As a Foundation of Evidence-Based Management

One of the four sources of evidence used in evidence-based management (EBMgt) is academic research. However, rather than taking evidence from single studies or arbitrarily selected studies, EBMgt uses findings from systematic reviews that methodically summarize the body of evidence relevant to a specific question. This allows for conclusions to be drawn about the quantity, quality, relevance, and meaning of the available evidence. Although conducting such reviews is important for EBMgt and academically, the skills required are rarely taught. Drawing on our experiences of teaching courses on conducting rapid systematic reviews to a range of students, we include four goals here. First, we describe the nature and purposes of systematic reviews and consider the multiple benefits of teaching students how to perform them. Second, we describe a course on rapid systematic reviews delivered to a group of master's students. Third, we report students' reactions to different aspects of the course and the outcomes for students and teachers. Last, we discuss the implications of these experiences for teaching systematic review skills across business school curricula and how they may in the future play a more prominent role in developing EBMgt skills in students and in management education more generally.