Beyond an ‘informed opinion’: evidence-based practice in the built environment

ABSTRACT

This study examines the sources of evidence that influence decision-makers who design or develop office buildings, and aims to explain why some managers engage more in evidence-based practice (EBP) than others. A mixed methods approach is conducted that combines quantitative results from 187 senior managers in the built environment and qualitative data from 18 interviewees. The respondents evaluated the use and trustworthiness of different sources of evidence, followed by an assessment of practitioners’ adoption and understanding of EBP. This study discovers notable differences between how practitioners and academics view EBP. The results highlight the importance of a manager’s learning goal orientation, the cultural norms of the work environment, and the industry-wide barriers for EBP. Implications for the adoption of EBP in the built environment at the individual, organisational, and industry levels are put forward.

KEYWORDS:

• Evidence-based practice
• evidence-based decision-making
• office buildings
• design management
• learning goal orientation
• norms

Acknowledgements

The authors would also like to acknowledge industry partners HASSELL, Aecom and Brookfield Multiplex, and the contributions of Samantha Hall and Zhonghua Gou.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Christian Criado-Perez http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3975-1621

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by the CRC for Low Carbon Living Ltd supported by the Cooperative Research Centres programme, an Australian Government initiative.