We have all been in that meeting, it seems. The one where the same colleague constantly argues, “Actually the research says X, so we should Y,” or “There is no research evidence to back that up”.
But what if they haven’t read or understood the research and it jars? And what if, in an all-too-human fashion, they are cherry-picking from the evidence to suit their own agenda?
Being a research-informed institution means welcoming that challenge and having the tools and confidence to challenge it right back. It’s a net positive that so many colleagues want to be a part of discussions about the ‘latest research’. If they are not given a voice or if those discussions are only held by the privileged few in SLT, they will simply become resistant to the very idea of ‘research’.
