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5. Evidence-based management:

Step 2: Search for the best available evidence

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5-step approach

EBMgt is a 5-step approach

1. Formulate an answerable question (PICOC)

2. Search for the best available evidence

3. Critical appraise the quality of the found evidence

4. Integrate the evidence with managerial expertise

and organizational concerns and apply

5. Monitor and evaluate the results

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Searching evidence

What do we search?

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Type of Information Source

Current Information Wall street Journal, Financial Times, Business week, Financieel Dagblad

Overview of a subject

General background

Academic Information

Statistical Information

Textbooks and popular books

Encyclopedias, yearbooks & book reviews

ABI/INFORM, Business Source Premier, Emerald, PsychInfo, Science Direct

CBS Statline, Eurostat

Theories about a subject Textbooks and encyclopedias

Information sources

Company information Company Annual Reports, Datastream, Factiva.com, Amadeus

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Searching evidence

Where do we search?

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Articles in peer reviewed journals

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Searching evidence

How do we search?

Search Strategy

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Two types of search strategies

Search strategy

Building blocks methodSnowball method

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Snowball method

Starting from one book or article, you search for other literature on the same topic.

Snowballing to older publications by finding out which

publications were used by the author (see bibliography of

book or article).

Snowballing to more recent publications by finding out

how often that book or article has been

cited by other authors (see Web of

Knowledge or Google Scholar).

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Snowball method

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Synonyms or

related terms

• ….

• ….

• ….

• ….

Synonyms or

related terms

• ….

• ….

• ….

• ….

Synonyms or

related terms

• ….

• ….

• ….

• ….

Building blocks method

Synonyms or

related terms

• ….

• ….

• ….

• ….

Keyword 1 Keyword 2 Keyword 3 Keyword 4

AND AND AND

OR OR OR

Postgraduate Course

P = back office employees

I = merger, integration, back office

C = status quo

O = economy of scale

C = healthcare, different organizational culture, unequal

Answerable question: PICOC

1. Underline the keywords

2. Number the order of importance from 1-4

Postgraduate Course

P = back office employees

I = 1. merger, 3. integration, back office

C = status quo

O = 4. economy of scale

C = 5. healthcare, different 2. organizational culture, unequal

Answerable question: PICOC

1. Underline the keywords

2. Number the order of importance

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Search terms

Operationalise your Pico elements!

O = long term profitability?

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corporate culture: organizational behavior/character, corporate identity

merger: acquisition, take-over, fusion, combination, unification

profitability: profit, advantage, return on investment, shareholder value

The keywords of your PICOC may be enough.If not, select more words by using:

Select keywords

synonyms

alternate spelling, translations

related terms / words / subjects

narrower or broader terms

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Search in the following order

1. Thesaurus (SU)

2. Title (TI)

3. Abstract (AB)

4. Alternate spellings, synonyms

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The advantages of ‘subjects’ or

‘thesaurus terms’

One single term for variations in spelling or synonyms

(organization, organization, company, corporation)

The term is relevant (therefore, so is the article)

Automatic “Explode” function (narrower terms are

automatically included)

Extra search options (subheadings, major topics, etc.)

Subject / Thesaurus terms

Postgraduate Course

The disadvantages of ‘subjects’ or

‘thesaurus terms’

Recent articles not yet indexed

“Index errors”

Sometimes there are no suitable subjects or thesaurus

terms (new concept, specific term)

Therefore use also words

in the title or abstract!

Subject / Thesaurus terms

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Search Query

1. Search with #1 PICOC term (incl. alternative terms,

synonyms, alternate spellings, truncations, etc.) in the

thesaurus, title or abstract

2. Combine the results with OR (use the history function!)

3. Search with #2 PICOC term (incl. synonyms, etc.)

4. Combine the results with OR

5. Combine the results of step 2 and 4 with AND

Postgraduate Course

Boolean operators

AND = both terms (apples AND oranges)

OR = either one of these terms (apples OR oranges)

NOT = without this term (fruit NOT oranges)

NEAR = near this term (apples NEAR oranges)

* = replaces 0,1 or more characters (apple*= apple,

apples, applejack, applejuice, applepie, etc.)

?= replaces 1 character (organi?ation= organisation,

organization)

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orangesapples

apples AND oranges apples OR oranges

orangesapples

Boolean operators

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• Merger

• Fusion

• Combination

• Take over

• Acquisition

• Unification

• …

1. Merger 3. Integration

• Healthcare organization

• Non profit

• Not for profit

4. Health care organization

AND

Search Query: an example

I I O

OR OR

• Integration • Corporate culture

• Organizational

behavior

• Organizational

character

• Corporate

identity

• Core beliefs

• Shared values

2. Corporate culture

C

AND

OR

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Databases

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Comparing databases

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Start up

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Start up

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Always search for indexed topics or thesaurus terms

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thesaurus terms

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Use the history function to combine results

Combining results

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Use the history function to combine results

Combining results

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Narrow your results

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Narrow your results

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Save your results

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If an article is not available in ABI/ Inform or BSE: try Google (advanced search)

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Summary

1. Formulate a focused question and break it down into keywords (PICOC),

2. Underline the 2 to 4 most relevant keywords,

3. Start with the most relevant keyword: is it listed in the thesaurus? If not: search in the title or abstract.

4. Repeat your search with alternative terms, synonyms or alternate spellings.

5. Combine the outcome of step 4 (thesaurus), 5 (title or abstract) and 6 (alternative terms) with OR (use the history function!)

6. Repeat above steps for keyword 2

7. Combine the outcome of your search with keyword 1 and 2 with AND (use the history function!)

8. Filter the articles with “studies” (subject > studies)

9. Read the titles and abstracts of your results, select the relevant articles and safe them.

10. No full text available in ABI/Inform or BS Elite? Try Google Advanced.

Postgraduate Course

Learning through play !

Try all buttons

Make lots of mistakes

Have fun !