By Jeffrey Pfeffer & Robert I. Sutton
About the Authors:Jeffrey Pfeffer
Professor Stanford University - Graduate School of BusinessRecipient of the Robert I. Irwin Award for scholarly contributions
to management
Robert I. SuttonProfessor Stanford University – Management Science and
EngineeringInductee into the Academy of Management
Journal's Hall of Fame
Pfeffer & Sutton (2006)Stanford Graduate School of Business (2012)
Purpose of Book
Help people become smarter and wiser by showing them a
new way to think about the information they use to make
business and management decisions.
Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p. 42 & 52.
A Dangerous Half-TruthThis notion carries
a lot of weight because it is not based on facts, but on statements that people have accepted as true.
4Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p. 25
Half –truths are tough to process. The truth may apply in some settings, but not others. When it is used incorrectly and out of context, it can also be dangerous for the organization.
5Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p. 25
Audience
The Decision Making Errors“Mindless imitation”Cookie Cutter ApproachFollowing deep rooted ideologies – based on
gut feelings
Pfeffer & Sutton (2006)
What is Evidence-Based Management?Facing the hard facts about what works and
what doesn’t
Understanding the dangerous half-truths that constitute so much conventional wisdom about management,
Rejecting the total nonsense that too often passes for sound advice.
8(Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p. 13)
Where is the evidence?Research LiteratureFactsTested assumptions (if no facts or research is available)
9Pfeffer & Sutton (2006)
Obstacles to Implementing EBM
Aver
sion
to T
ruth
Data
(information
) is Power Confusio
n &
Conflictin
g
Sources
Pfeffer & Sutton, 2007, p. 30-34
11(Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p. 37)
Half-Truths the authors confront
Is work fundamentally different from the rest of life?
If we don’t Change or
Innovate will we survive?
Is Strategy Is Destiny?
Do The Best
Organizations
Have the Best
People?
Do financial incentives
drive company
performance?
Are Great Leaders are
in control of their
companies, and ought
they be?
Strengths and Weaknesses
ConclusionThe Authors did a very good job pointing out defective
decision making practices as it relates to the half-truths they confront. They provided guidelines to aid in sorting thru information and remove barriers
This book is a valuable resource. These guidelines have unlimited applications. I recommend this book to anyone in a management or leadership position looking to make decisions based on evidence.
ReferencesStanford Graduate School of Business. (2012,
March 27). Retrieved from https://gsbapps.stanford.edu/facultyprofiles/biomain.asp?id=38680009
Stanford Graduate School of Business. (2012, March 27). Retrieved from http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/pfeffer/
Pfeffer, J., Sutton, R. I. (2006). Hard Facts: Dangerous Half-Truths & Total Nonsense. Profiting from Evidence-Based Management.
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