Bill's Notebook

The latest issue of Scientific American Mind has a good article disputing popular myths in pop psychology.  Myths like “we only use 10% of our minds” and the idea of learning styles.  I bring this up because the authors use the magic words – “evidence-based.”  I’m seeing more practioners in various fields advocate for a research-based reevaluation of the field’s core concepts.

The rise of evidence-based practice seems unnecessary because it seems that is plenty of research out there.  But, as the founders of evidence-based medicine found, the research seems to sit on the shelf while practitioners rely on rules of thumb and “professional folklore” to practice their arts.  There has always been a gap between the academic world and the practical world but it seems that the Internet has made that gap more apparent. 

For example, as patients began to use WebMD and similar sites to research their illnesses and treatments, many doctors were questioned on their ability to diagnose and successfully treat their patients.  The same started to happen in the legal community, investing, and so on.  The informed consumer is skeptical of the tactics that used to work for the professionals because this professional body of knowledge didn’t seem to have a basis in the latest research.

That is why the successful practitioners will be both scholarly and practical.  They should have the ability to understand the latest research and to critically appraise that research.  They should also have the ability to find the practical applications of the latest research findings and be able to communicate to their clients the implications of the research.  Selling the sizzle instead of the steak is not the way to consulting success in the 21st Century.