Towards a Methodology for Developing Evidence‐Informed Management Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review

British Journal of Management - Tập 14 Số 3 - Trang 207-222 - 2003
David Tranfield1, David Denyer1, Palie Smart2
1Cranfield University,
21 Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK, UK [email protected]

Tóm tắt

Undertaking a review of the literature is an important part of any research project. The researcher both maps and assesses the relevant intellectual territory in order to specify a research question which will further develop the knowledge base. However, traditional ‘narrative’ reviews frequently lack thoroughness, and in many cases are not undertaken as genuine pieces of investigatory science. Consequently they can lack a means for making sense of what the collection of studies is saying. These reviews can be biased by the researcher and often lack rigour. Furthermore, the use of reviews of the available evidence to provide insights and guidance for intervention into operational needs of practitioners and policymakers has largely been of secondary importance. For practitioners, making sense of a mass of often‐contradictory evidence has become progressively harder. The quality of evidence underpinning decision‐making and action has been questioned, for inadequate or incomplete evidence seriously impedes policy formulation and implementation. In exploring ways in which evidence‐informed management reviews might be achieved, the authors evaluate the process of systematic review used in the medical sciences. Over the last fifteen years, medical science has attempted to improve the review process by synthesizing research in a systematic, transparent, and reproducible manner with the twin aims of enhancing the knowledge base and informing policymaking and practice. This paper evaluates the extent to which the process of systematic review can be applied to the management field in order to produce a reliable knowledge stock and enhanced practice by developing context‐sensitive research. The paper highlights the challenges in developing an appropriate methodology.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

10.1348/096317901167451

Aram J. D., 2000, US Academy of Management Conference–Multiple Perspectives on Learning in Management Education

Becher A., 1989, Academic Tribes and Territories: Intellectual Enquiry and the Cultures of Disciplines

Beck C. T., 2001, Caring with nursing education, Journal of Nursing Education, 40, 101, 10.3928/0148-4834-20010301-04

Bero L., 1995, The Cochrane Collaboration: Preparing Maintaining and Disseminating Systematic Reviews of the Effects of Health Care, Journal of the American Medical Association, 27, 1935, 10.1001/jama.1995.03530240045039

10.1287/orsc.6.1.104

Blake R. R., 1976, Consultation

Blaxter M., 1996, Criteria for the Evaluation of Qualitative Research Papers, Medical Sociology News, 22, 68

10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00064-3

Campbell Collaboration(2001).http://campbell.gse.upenn.edu/ about.htm.

Clarke M., 2001, Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook 4.1.4

Cochrane Collaboration(2001).The Cochrane Brochure http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane/cc‐broch.htm#BDL

10.7326/0003-4819-127-3-199708010-00006

10.7326/0003-4819-126-5-199703010-00006

Dabinett G., 2001, A Review of the Evidence Base for Regeneration Policy and Practice

Davies H. T. O., 1998, Getting to Grips with Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses, Hospital Medicine, 59, 955

10.1111/1467-9302.00147

Davies H. T. O., 2000, Editorial, Public Money & Management, 19, 3, 10.1111/1467-9302.00144

Davies H. T. O., 1999, Editorial, Public Money & Management, 20, 17

Davies P.(2000).The Relevance of Systematic Reviews to Educational Policy and Practice http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/BEME/oxreview.htm.

10.1177/135581969800300308

Economic and Social Research Council(1999).A History of the EPSRC UK Centre for Evidence Based Policy and Practice http://www.evidencenetwork.org/home.asp.

10.1177/104973239200200409

10.1177/104973239400400410

10.1046/j.1365-2702.2001.00517.x

Fink A., 1998, Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From Paper to the Internet

Friedman A. C.DurkinandM.Phillips(2000).The Future of UK Professional Associations Proceedings for 5th Annual Professional Association Research Network Conference.

10.1111/1467-9302.00232

Gibbons M., 1994, The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies

10.3102/0013189X005010003

10.1136/bmj.315.7109.672

Greenhalgh T., 1997, Papers that go Beyond Numbers (Qualitative Research), British Medical Journal, 315, 740, 10.1136/bmj.315.7110.740

10.1111/1467-9302.00235

10.2307/258833

Hart C., 1998, Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination

HM Inspectorate of Probation, 1998, Strategies for Effective Offended Supervision

10.1111/1467-8551.00106-i2

10.1111/1467-8551.12.s1.5

Home Office, 1998, Reducing Offending: An Assessment of Research Evidence on Ways of Dealing with Offending Behaviour

10.2307/259014

10.1177/104973239600600407

10.1111/1467-9302.00231

Macdonald G., 1999, Evidence‐based Social Care, ., 19, 25

10.1111/1467-9302.00148

10.1136/bmj.320.7226.50

10.7326/0003-4819-106-3-485

10.1136/bmj.309.6954.597

10.7326/0003-4819-126-5-199703010-00008

National Institute for Clinical Excellence(2001).http://www.nice.org.uk/.

NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination(2001).Undertaking Systematic Reviews of Research on Effectiveness. CRD's Guidance for those Carrying Out or Commissioning Reviews. CRD Report Number 4 (2ndEdition). York.

10.4135/9781412985000

Nowotny H., 2001, Rethinking Science: Knowledge and the Public in an Age of Uncertainty

10.1111/1467-9302.00234

Nutley S. M. H. T. O.DaviesandI.Walter(2002).From Knowing to Doing: A Framework for Understanding the Evidence‐into‐practice Agenda Discussion Paper 1 Research Unit for Research Utilisation.http://www.st‐and.ac.uk/~cppm/KnowDo%20paper.pdf.

Nutley S. M.andH. T. O.Davies(2002).Evidence‐based Policy & Practice: Moving from Rhetoric to Reality Discussion Paper 2 Research Unit for Research Utilisation http://www.st‐and.ac.uk/~cppm/Rhetoric%20to%20reality%20NF.pdf.

10.3109/00365519409088573

10.1136/bmj.309.6955.648

Pawson R.(2001).The Promise of a Realist Synthesis Working Paper No.4 ESRC Evidence Network Centre for Evidence Based Policy and Practice.http://www.evidencenetwork.org/Documents/wp4.pdf

10.1016/0140-6736(91)90494-A

10.1136/bmj.322.7278.98

Pettigrew A. M., 1997, The Double Hurdles for Management Research

10.2307/41166020

10.1177/104973239800800305

10.1136/bmj.310.6987.1122

Sandelowski M., 1997, Qualitative Metasynthesis, Research in Nursing and Health, 20, 365, 10.1002/(SICI)1098-240X(199708)20:4<365::AID-NUR9>3.0.CO;2-E

10.1136/bmj.303.6806.798

10.3102/0013189X015009005

10.1111/1467-8551.12.s1.2

Suri H.(1999). ‘The process of synthesising qualitative research: A case study’.Annual Conference of the Association for Qualitative Research Melbourne http://www.latrobe.edu.au/aqr/offer/papers/HSuri.htm

Tisdall P., 1982, Agents of Change; The Development and Practice of Management Consultancy

10.1111/1467-8551.00103

Van de Ven A. H., 1998, Professional Science for a Professional School

Van Aken J., 2001, Management Research Based on the Paradigm of the Design Sciences: The Quest for Field Tested and Grounded Technological Rules

10.1111/j.1467-6486.1984.tb00415.x

10.1111/j.1467-6486.1984.tb00234.x

Whitely R., 2000, The Intellectual and Social Organization of the Sciences, 10.1093/oso/9780199240531.001.0001

Wilcoxson L.andE. P.Fitzgerald(2001).The Nature and Role of Management Research in Australia and New Zealand Australian and New Zealand Academy Of Management Conference.

Wind J., 1998, The Impact Imperative: Closing the Relevance Gap of Academic Management Research

10.1207/S15328015TLM1301_11

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

British Journal of Management

Tập 14 Số 3

207-222

Thông tin tác giả