Unit One Blog

Edenguessi/ September 19, 2018/ ldrs591/ 4 comments

Part 1

Research is a process which involves information gathering and analysis to grow knowledge in an area of interest (Plano-Clark & Creswell, 2015).

My first exposure to research occurred during my undergraduate degree where I took classes in statistic and  research design.

The informal research can be classified as empirical if we consider intuition, and non-empirical if one uses authority or logic. Whereas, formal research is a scientific process meaning “empirical, objective, self-correcting, progressive, tentative, parsimonious, and concerned with theory” (McBurney and White, 2010, p. 26).

Part 2

During the Summer of 2018, I decided to challenge a decision made by some executives of the organization I used to work.

I felt the need to develop professionally, and an educational upgrade happened to be the way to accomplish it. I took a two weeks study leave and when I returned to work I was presented with a notice of termination.

The reasons enumerated contrasted with my record of employment and the datas recorded in our information system. As a result, I inquired my options and the attitudes I needed to have throughout the process.

I assumed that by reaching out to the CEO, I could receive, an opportunity to gain more understanding into the termination, make a case of my tenure as program manager and offer options about my future with the organization. I gathered with a group of mentors and our method consisted in drafting a letter to the CEO while gathering information to establish my credibility as a manager. We also decided to adopt a gentle but detective approach.

The CEO responded favorably to the request, and I met with her. The meeting concluded with an offer to return to my position or an opportunity to resign. I chose to resign.

The factors influencing my decision included a desire for justice and truth as well as a yearning for factually based decisions.

Scholarly inquiry offers evidence-based information that consumers can trust in their everyday decisions such as the choices of treatment, car, educational institutions.

Part 3

Pfeffer and Roberts (2006) and Trybus (2007) conceptualized evidence-based decision making as a set of practices and a mindset that inform decisions. It includes the formulation of answerable questions, an analysis and synthesis of relevant data, assumptions about the outcome of the question, a research design to test the evidence (trial, study, experiment) and an acknowledgment of the effort done in the research regardless of the outcomes as well as some directions for the futures or “ treating the company as an unfinished project” (Pfeffer & Robert, 2006, para. 32). They described evidence as a set of logical and credible information drawn from current researches that inform decisions.

Evidence-based decision making is essential for leadership. It provides leaders with the opportunity to shape their organization based on information that is credible, trustworthy and tested.

What could be some alternatives to evidence-based decisions for countries and communities that lack the financial means to conduct research?

References

Mc Burney, D. H. & White, T. L. (2010). Research Methods (8th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Pfeffer, J. & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Evidence-based management. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2006/01/evidence-based-management

Plano Clark, V. L. & Creswell, J. W. (2015). Understanding Research: A Consumer’s Guide. (2 ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Trybus, M. (2007). Understanding scientifically based research: A mandate or decision making tool? Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 73(4), 5-8.