Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2009

Abstract

The potential role for evidence-based management approaches to transform systems of higher learning and meet the growing needs of our knowledge economy is widely proposed. Most of the empirical work on evidence-based practice and management has concentrated on dynamics directly related to the use of evidence. This study takes a broader view of the management process of inquiry in which evidence is collected, interpreted or ignored. Semi-structured interviews with 31 faculty, staff and administrative members of college quality improvement committees were conducted in a grounded approach to qualitative research. What emerged was an intriguing tale of passion, power, and paradox that suggest evidence-based management in higher education is both process and product of structurational forces within a dynamic of inquiry, particularly where issues of politics and conflict may play a dominant role in the interactions.

Keywords

education higher management, evidence-based management, higher education, institutional theory, structuration, grounded theory, passion, calling, inquiry, conflict, power

Rights

© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Department/Center

Design & Innovation

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