LDRS 591 – Unit 1 Blog

Part 1

My name is Brenda Fernie and I am currently employed by the Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group as the Vice-President. Seyem’ Qwantlen is responsible for lands, resources and economic development on behalf of the Kwantlen First Nation. On the economic development side I regularly informally research things like new software systems, industry trends and best leadership practices. On the lands and resources side it is extremely important that the research receives a scholarly lens, and that it remains at arm’s length. The reason for the scholarly review on the lands and resources side of the company is because the research is utilized for rights and title and needs to stand up in a court of law. Research related to rights and title includes a review of archaeological evidence, a review of historical journals, historical maps, ethnographical review and elder’s interviews to collaborate the evidence. This research is conducted in collaboration with universities and professionals of various fields. My company is the holder of this information and recently has started a Geographical Information System data base as a place holder of this important information. The key difference in every day research versus scholarly research is that the chance of scholarly research being disputed is unlikely while everyday research can often be untested or the outcome definitively unknown.

Part 2

One decision I recently made as a leader, was to invest in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool. The tool meant a sizeable investment in the company and so I evaluated the cost versus risk with the status quo. The following is a list of factors that went into my decision making:

• Financial information was difficult to extract on the current system. Information that was available was often months behind.
• QuickBooks was not meant for a multi-company. It meant finance staff had to close and open up a new page as each company did not interface with one another.
• Management staff were frustrated about not having financial information. At times I felt like we were hiding something however this was not the case. The information was not available.
• I felt the need to fix the problem or at least demonstrate to staff that we were doing something about it.
• We hired a consultant to conduct a review of our business and recommend an ERP system that would work for our business. The consultant confirmed that Quickbooks was not adequate and that a better fit would be Microsoft Dynamics.
• The company did not have HR software which I felt was a risk. I also knew this was not best practice for a company our size. While there were many options for HR software I knew Microsoft Dynamics had the ability to integrate Finance with HR which would save me on administrative staff and reduce the risk of errors from duplicate entries.
• The company had invested in temporary solutions, all of which did not communicate with one another such as a Timeclock software, scheduling software, dispatching software, point of sale software, etc. All of which did not communicate with one another.
• My past employment influenced my decision to invest in an ERP system. I came from a large organization that was accountable to the public and so the need for up to date financial information was integral. I felt the same was true in being accountable to our own government at Kwantlen.
• I discussed with many of the impacted staff and they also felt not have an ERP system was one of our biggest organizational risks. We had to find a solution before growing any larger.
• In being accountable to the community I did not like being put in a position of not having data that was evidence based, particularly when it came to budgets. I wanted real information that would add to my credibility.
• I often had a hunch in some areas where I saw there could see improvements within different parts of the business, but without the financial information to back it up it was really just my opinion. I wanted financial data so that Managers could concentrate in areas of their business that required their attention and so that I too could provide feedback to Manager’s on where to focus their attention.
• Finances impacted my decision as the cost of an ERP system meant a substantial investment. However in evaluating the upfront cost of the ERP versus the cost to add additional staff I was able to justify that in the end the savings would come from improvements within the business.

Scholarly inquiry applies to everyday decision making as we react to circumstances based on past experiences and what works. There are times as leaders we might make a decision based on what has worked in the past however as the world evolves our information may suddenly be out of date. At this point as leaders it is important that we experiment with new ways and form new conclusions on what works. This starts with asking an objective question. For example a few years back I had considered how I as an employee was motivated to not miss work. I knew that I wanted to move up in the company and if I kept my record clean I could do many things. I therefore as a supervisor took it upon myself to meet more regularly with employees and come up with a career plan for them. I was motivated partly because I dreaded doing attendance interviews but also because I felt like we as supervisors did not talk to our employees until their attendance was actually a problem. I wanted to keep them on track before they became a problem. I had no evidence my theory would work however in years later, evaluating the data it did have an impact. My assigned group attendance records, in comparison to others, was significantly less. Many of my direct reports as well went on to become supervisors, trainers or moved into other positions within the organization.

Part 3

The authors of Understanding scientifically based research: A mandate or decision making tool? (Trybus, 2007) and Evidence-based management (Pfifer & Sutton, 2006) conceptualize evidence-based decisions, as using science based research in decision making. Science based research is research that is soundly conducted and uses a systematic approach with rigorous data to support the findings.

Science based evidence is research that is data driven, can be either quantitative or qualitative, references previous studies if available. Evidence can also include the integration of professional wisdom. Professional wisdom may come from companies running trial programs, pilot studies and small experiments.

Evidence-based decision-making is important in leadership as leaders are often challenged with finding ways for continuous improvement. Particularly with the advancements in technology, companies are needing to be on the lookout for ways to increase productivity, increase its competitiveness and their customer base. Making a decision without using evidence based decisions could become costly, cause delays and in some cases result in the closure of the business due to a poor investment decision. The employees of any organization are in trust of the leadership to make the right decision. If the right decision is not made the employees may lose trust and faith in their leadership which ultimately may result in employees leaving the company. While leadership makes decisions they must also share in the logic of their decision. If employees feel the decision has not been well thought out, they may not support the implementation of a new policy or technology. On the contrary if leadership utilizes evidence based decisions making, it may actually aid in the success and or buy in of its employees and in some cases its customers.

In the case of Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group, the responsibilities of departments are quite diverse. With one side of the company dealing with rights and title and the other working in the fast pace environment of economic development it is quite the contrast. I can see at times friction between the two groups as one group of employees relies on a very evidence based research approach while the other is required to make quick decisions daily, based on informal research. I wonder though, how might each group work together and share in their strengths when it comes to how my organization approaches research?

References

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

Pfeffer, J. & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Evidence-based management. Harvard Business Review