When planning for our first GBSN Case Method Month we wanted to focus on everything about Case Method: from writing and teaching to publishing, competitions and resources. However, sometimes we are so focused on what a case study is comprised of, that we forget how important it is to recognize what a case study isn’t.
Marc Robinson of the William Davidson Institute pointed out several of these “do-nots” in his webinar event held last week on the "when, why and how of case method." Marc mentioned one of the most important elements in a case is that there is no right answer. That a faculty can lead students down certain pastures, but there should never be one answer.
He went on to explain that a case doesn’t give just a summary of events at a company—it must include a specific problem. A case is not a research paper, but rather it is told from a specific point of view. It is also not a marketing piece for a company, in fact most students prefer cases where things don’t go perfectly. A case shouldn’t be from a general point of view, but include a central figure that has to make a decision. Click here to watch Marc’s full presentation.
In addition to the webinar, our guest blog writers highlighted both the benefits of case method and the constraints. Robert Hansen of Tuck made the claim that focusing exclusively on case method could be down right “dangerous.” Julian Sanchez of IPADE Business School (Mexico) made the argument that while management theory is important, it is more important to develop the act of thinking, and that experience is the first source of learning. Guy Pfeffermann, CEO of GBSN, mentioned the difficulty to find the elusive “sweet spot” between no cases and the cases only approach for business institutions.
While the debate continues as to how much focus should be placed on case method, (from exclusively to a moderate mix of pedagogy) most faculty agree, case studies are a very important element to business education. Perhaps the answer to this questions falls into Marc’s assessments of effective case studies, there is no right answer.
Case Method Month isn’t over yet! Closing out Case Method Month, Leif Sjoblom of IMD will discuss with us the principles of case mentoring (Mentoring Case Writers from Inspiration to Instruction, Friday, September 30 at 10:00am EDT). When should a case mentor be involved in the case process? How do you become an effective case teacher? How do you build a supportive mentoring team? Leif will discuss these challenges and give ideas for case writers and teachers. Click here for more information and to register.
I am very excited to have engaged so many of our members on this topic. So tell me, what do you want us to focus on next year? Please leave me your comments and suggestions!
