How do public servants make smart decisions when time is short and the stakes are high?
In this episode, host David Pembroke is joined by two leading experts in organisational decision-making: Eric Barends, Managing Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Management, and Alessandra Capezio, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Australian National University. Together, they explore how public servants can make better decisions by combining data, research, stakeholder input, and professional experience.
The conversation delves into the challenges of balancing instinct and evidence in fast-paced environments, the risks of relying on heuristics and cognitive biases, and the importance of cultivating a culture that supports critical thinking and evidence-informed practice.
key tips
- Use multiple sources of evidence to support decision-making. Avoid relying solely on personal experience; combine organisational data, scientific research, stakeholder perspectives, and expert judgement.
- Challenge cognitive biases. Recognise common pitfalls like solution fixation and authority bias, and ask critical questions to uncover root causes.
- Build capability and culture. Equip teams with the skills and shared language to critically appraise evidence, even under time pressure, and foster leadership that values evidence-based practice.
guests
Eric Barends
Eric Barends (Ph.D., VU University Amsterdam) is the managing director of the Center for Evidence-Based Management. He has twenty years of management experience, fifteen years at the senior management level, including five years as an executive. He advises and coaches managers, senior leaders, and executive boards of large and medium sized companies and non-profit organizations on evidence-based decision-making. In addition, he frequently runs training courses on this topic and serves as a visiting lecturer at several universities and business schools such as Carnegie Mellon University, New York University and Australian National University. His textbook, Evidence-Based Management: How to Use Evidence to Make Better Organizational Decisions (with Denise Rousseau), has been adopted by over 80 universities.
Alessandra Capezio
Alessandra Capezio is an Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour in the ANU Research School of Management, and also a Fellow of the Center for Evidence Management. She has reliable expertise in executive education and leadership development in Government, public sector, and private sector contexts.
Alessandra’s overarching purpose as an engaged organisational scholar and educator is to help people in organisations make better decisions decisions, ultimately for the betterment of society and the human condition. To achieve this purpose, she works with organisations to address barriers to critical thinking and effective organisational decision-making. Alessandra believes that evidence-based management principles, and the use of trustworthy evidence summaries, are powerful tools for improving decision-making and judgement.
Show notes
- Evidence-based tools and resources | Center for Evidence-Based Management website
- Online course on evidence-based management | CEBMa
- EBDM support, short courses and bespoke offerings | Associate Professor Alessandra Capezio via ANU