Guest Blogger: Dr. Julian Sanchez Garcia, IPADE Business School, Mexico

Embarking on the discussion of why we think the case method is the proper way to teach management needs two initial sets of considerations.

First, let us ponder the following sets of questions:

1. Is management an exact science? Governed by exact rules? Or is it more of an art? An act of prudence that responds differently to changing environments and that allows for different responses when realities change?

2. What is more important: knowledge per-se about management theories? Or developing and perfecting the act of thinking?

Our inclination is that management is an act of prudence and that it is more important that students develop the act of thinking rather than acquire information and knowledge about business (although, obviously this is necessary, and theories and business science should be taught and learned in Business Schools).

The second consideration has to do with the discussion about how can businessmen learn about management. In this regard we believe that management can be learned in two ways:

a. Real life experience.

b. Education or instruction.

Obviously, management can be learned by managing, as many other things in life (e.g. swimming, running, etc.). Experience, understood as “the knowledge of or a skill in doing something gained through involvement to that thing”, can make a person learn and become good at a certain task.

In order for experience to be an “educational event”, (or what we are calling learning through experience) the person being educated, in this case businessmen, needs two conditions or attitudes (or the willingness to acquire them):

a. Open mind

b. Firmness of criteria

An open mind means the disposition to learn, to change our ideas, the capacity to see around us and learn from others. Without an open mind, experience can turn into routine and that would not produce a learning process.

An “open mind” is not enough, a businessman must not accept every idea that comes around. He should be able to make sound judgments, distinguish what’s true from what’s not, what’s important from what’s urgent, relevant from superficial.

The second way that businessmen can learn is from education. When we refer to education, we do not mean converting someone to a “walking encyclopedia” or a pure theorist. We are not interested in a student that knows a lot about business but is incapable of doing more and better things. There is an obvious but important difference between knowing more things and being able to do more things.

In consequence, and precisely because we think that experience is the first source of learning, the proper teaching method should tend to multiply those experiences and observation exercises and stretch them to the limit allowing the person being educated to make rigorous judgments, so that that experience can become a real educational process. We believe that the case method can do just that.

A simple description of what we understand by the case method can help us rap up this first discussion:

A systematic dialogue, based on real situations through which the participants can achieve experiential learning enriched with scientific knowledge and theory.

This post is part of a series that will address various aspects of Case Method throughout the month of September.  We encourage you to follow the conversation, respond to guest bloggers and share your own thoughts.  Follow GBSN on Twitter or Facebook to stay up to date on the latest throughout Case Method Month.