The problem with 'evidence-based' and why embracing innovation is essential!
The first thing to say is that I am not here to say that evidence-based practices are in any way 'bad', 'wrong' or 'to be avoided' (in fact, I think they're a really important part of our work).
The reason I've written this article is to highlight the need (necessity) for us to be comfortable in stepping beyond the past and into new possibilities, opportunities and practices, new ways of working and thinking, if we are serious about creating a world where our children thrive.
Evidence-based decisions, practices, methods and approaches have become fundamental to almost everything we do. They provide us a sense of security and confirm that we are making good, logical and defendable decisions that are grounded in vast amounts of research and proven effectiveness.
Yet, there’s an underlying issue that often goes unnoticed.
Every 'evidence base' comes from the past.
In fact, so does all data.
And while there's lots that we can learn from the past... there is so much more we can get from being free to create new futures that doesn't rely on what's already come before.
I invite you to consider this:
In the early 20th century, there was no evidence base for women's suffrage. Society then had no experience of women participating in democratic processes. Or look back to the 1960s, there was no evidence base to predict the success of Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights movement. Even recent events, such as the invention of Apple's iPhone, it had never been done before and before you know it, what once was a devise we made calls on, now hosts our mail, alarms, calendars, bank cards, photos and so much more...
There is no doubt that these events transformed the world.
And the common theme is that they were not about replicating the past but about realising what could be possible in the future.
They weren't creating the future with templates from what had already been. They were driven by a vision of what was possible - a vision that challenged the existing norms and paved the way for profound transformation - or you could say, "a new world".
They demonstrate that sometimes, the evidence we need is not in the data we have but in the future we envision.
As we tackle the toughest challenges we've ever experienced, relying solely on what's worked before is limiting.
You could compare it to looking in the interior mirror to drive forward on a foggy country lane.
Innovation means we can't just following the 'established norms'. It means that we need to able to step out of our "tried and tested" comfort zone and move into new territories. This doesn’t mean that we should just abandon or demonise evidence-based practices (actually, evidence based innovation appeals to me), but we should feel confident to explore beyond them with new ideas that may lack empirical support but holds the potential for results which before were unimaginable, unattainable or not in sight.
To make this possible, we need to foster a culture that encourages experimentation and tolerates things not going as planned.
Pharmaceutical companies experimenting with radical new treatments for diseases understand that not every attempt will be successful, but the payoff of finding a successful new treatment can be enormous... literally changing people's lives beyond what was ever possible before.
We can apply this very same thinking in education and children's services.
Just consider that hiding behind blanket policy statements such as "We only use evidence-based practices" leaves a blindspot.
Be curious and be bold. Experiment with new ideas. Learn from the past but don't let yourself be anchored to it.
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10moThis is a such a refreshing read, as an independent children's social care organisation we are always creating new innovative services and thinking out of the box... evidenced based decisions and can sit with creativity they shouldn't exclude each other..... But just like in parenting some times you have to just say " well that didn't work what next"!
Independent Advanced Drawing &Talking Practitioner/Accredited Children's Sleep Practitioner
10moI agree!
Holistic Early Intervention & Wellbeing Therapist at Inspire Early Intervention
10moOh my goodness! So relieved to see this in writing!
Parenting Coordinator
10moI agree!
Creator of ParentAssess and Winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award - Social Worker of the Year Awards 2022
10moI agree and you can have ‘evidence based practice’ within a new way of working. Children’s social work services are full of systems and processes which have been around for a along time. 8 years ago I created a new parenting assessment framework called ParentAssess. The previous framework was well established but dated. Getting people to look at something new and innovative has taken time because people wanted to see evidence it worked. How do you do that if no one will take the chance and try? Thankfully a few professionals were open to innovation and slowly confidence grew as more people saw ParentAssess working. It’s an assessment framework so depends on evidence gathering but using new approaches and involving children much more. We need to innovate to reflect the changes in our modern world but those innovations need to be flexible to further change too.