The case for a culture of experimentation in business schools

The scientific method is no longer the sole domain of scientists, and business schools need to train students to embrace a spirit of experimentation.

That’s the premise set forth in a new article from the Harvard Business Review co-authored by the Eccles School’s Elizabeth Tenney, assistant professor of Management; Elaine Costa, Management Ph.D. student; and Ruchi Watson, assistant professor of Entrepreneurship & Strategy and Managing Director of the Goff Strategic Leadership Center.

“Instead of calling in managers to solve every puzzle or dispute large and small (Should we make the background yellow or blue? Should we improve basic functionality or add new features? Are staff properly supported and incentivized to provide rapid responses?), teams can run experiments and measure outcomes of interest and, armed with new data, decide for themselves, or at least put forward a proposal grounded in relevant information,” they argue. “The data also provide tangible deliverables to show to stakeholders to demonstrate progress and accountability.”

Read their full case for experimentation in the Harvard Business Review.