The impact of research on decision-making by practitioners and managers

Does research have an impact on decision-making at the level of practitioners and managers; and, if so, through what pathways? Previous studies have shown that the relationships between research and its decision-making outcomes are almost always complex and not easily discerned. The idea of a one-to-one relationship generally has been discredited, although individual studies can have an impact. Studies have concentrated at the policy level rather than on practitioners and managers. This paper draws on a range of recent Australian studies in VET and healthcare. The second section of the paper outlines a framework for analysing the relationships between research and decisionmaking by practitioners and managers, distinguishing between the decisionmaking domain, the research domain and the linkages between them. It also discusses the definition of research; and draws a distinction between ‘use’ and ‘influence’. Section 3 outlines the relevant studies in VET from which evidence was drawn, while Section 4 outlines the sources from which evidence was drawn for Australian healthcare. Section 5 considers the similarities and differences in the relationships between research and decision-making by practitioners and managers in the two sectors. There are five concluding comments in Section 6.