5CO02: Evidence-based practice is about making better decisions, informing action that has the desired impact: Evidence-based practice Assignment, UO, UK

CIPD’s insight

Evidence-based practice is about making better decisions, and informing action that has the desired impact. An evidence-based approach to decision-making is based on a combination of using critical thinking and the best available evidence. It makes decision-makers less reliant on anecdotes, received wisdom, and personal experience –

sources that are not trustworthy on their own. It is important for People Practitioners to adopt this approach because of the huge impact management decisions have on the working lives of people in all sorts of organizations worldwide. Managers have an obligation to find the best evidence when making important decisions to strengthen the well-being of their workers as well as ensure their organization’s success

Case study

Your company has been invited to submit a briefing paper for a regional People Practice event that will share insights and good practices on a range of people practice processes and practices. The topic area that your manager has chosen is ‘evidence-based practice’ and has selected you to represent the company by creating the briefing paper for the event. In addition, your manager has asked you to analyze and review three sets of performance data in readiness for the forthcoming heads of department meeting.

Task two: Data analysis and review

In preparing for the forthcoming department heads’ meeting your manager has asked you to prepare a range of information and interpretations for use at the meeting

1. From this analysis, graphically present your findings using three or more different methods
2. Identify the key systems and data used within effective people practices, to give insights by measuring work and people performance
3. Explain how people practices add value in an organization and identify methods that might be used to measure the impact of people practices
4. The annual performance reviews for Department ‘A’ last year were scored using a rating scale from 6 = high performer to 1= low performer. Any employee scoring 4 and above received a £400.00 bonus in their monthly payments.

The budget allocation per department for bonuses last year was £75,000.
Figures from Department ‘A’ for last year were:
112 employees received a score of 6
98 employees received a score of 5
35 employees received a score of 4
43 employees received a score of 3 or below