Health Information Technology

The article Evidence Based Management by Pfeffer and Sutton discusses use of evidence to guide managers through their jobs. The article starts with evidence based medicine where it claims that most doctors do not make decisions based on evidence presented to them. Rather, they use evidence acquired throughout the life. It is hard for one to disregard what they know especially if what they know has worked for such a long time. Many of us are afraid of that change and avoid that risk. The risk with taking a new approach is usually smaller (especially in medicine), as extensive research has to be done with great success. Most doctors or managers disregard this good evidence available and prefer to take less risky approach or one they are accustomed to. They are convinced that they have enough knowledge and have proven that through work success, rejecting any new evidence.

I see this as ignorance. Many individuals are so confident that their confidence makes them incompetent. Just because you have done it 100 times and it has worked does not mean it will work again. Also just because another company or doctor took the same approach does not mean you have to and you will get the same positive results. This is an example of Southwest and their competitor United. United introduced Shuttle by United in order to compete with Southwest. They copied all the important operations procedures. As a result of this creation United was expecting to increase its market share. Contrary to what was perceived, Shuttle by United failed miserably and helped increase Southwest’s market share in California. When you are copying you are not looking at yourself but just at the original. By doing so you are not asking the necessary question. Why? If United cared more and asked this question, perhaps it would be able to compete with Southwest. This goes on for anything an individual does. Looking at the others and trying to copy them will result in failure. If a manager or doctor takes a more risky path, more reward follows.