The case study method: some thoughts and division of responsibility
1The case study method is truly not my presenting a lecture about cases or short situational papers that you are given as homework to read prior to class. While the class time might include brief “lecturettes” to clarify issues, or highlight related matters, the “ownership of the discussion” is yours, the students. I will talk more about our individual responsibilities later. Certainly there is an investment in time on your part to make the case study method work, but the reward is more than merely avoiding being “lectured at.” Deep engagement with the material will afford you the opportunity to create a plan of action, which, if you were in fact the protagonist in the case, you would implement. As part of this and any case study class, your analytical skills will be improved through simulated application of your thinking. Getting into the thick of the case or other material, should not only be educationally rewarding and practical, but enjoyable too.
It is important, when reading a case or other material, to get below the surface. Cases as a rule are purposely made deceptively easy, thus making it easier for Harvard and other Business School professors who have to “fail” 10% of his or her class to leave the less motivated behind. The prescribed method of penetration is through identifying the critical issue or issues. These are problems that are usually composed of two opposing forces. On the one hand, there is something that an individual or company wants badly. On the other hand is the issue which stands in the way of realizing that “something.” Most cases will not have all the facts you might like to see. This is good practice, as in real life situations, it is very rare that managers and entrepreneurs have the luxury of knowing all possible data. Decisions need to be made with the available information. Ideas will arise with regard to what plan of action should be taken. A comparison of ideas and choices and determination of what is the best direction to take will not necessarily be agreed with by everyone in the discussion. In fact, as the instructor, my job is to manage your discussion, keep an open mind as to what to do and focus on themes, topics and areas of analysis to manage your conversations. But you should have a plan and that plan should be able to be implemented according to how you see it going. Your skill at doing this will improve as the course unfolds. Others in the discussion might disagree with you. A forthright but open-minded defense of your position will help the discussion. Building on others’ comments is also a recommended action.
Compacts or Agreements
As we will discuss the four P’s of management so too (product, promotion, price and place), there are also four P’s for you, the student, to be responsible for to make the case study method work. I have some too: Yours are:
P
reparation of the material- this includes reading the case before class, coming up with the critical issue(s) and a plan to solve the problem.P
opulation- this means being here, unless something extraordinary keeps you from classP
unctuality- it’s never a good negotiating tactic to come to a meeting after it has started. It not only disrupts the flow but indicates that being there on time is less important than something else.P
lay- it’s no fun if you don’t play. If everyone did that, there would be no discussion.Case method is a team effort. If it’s a muscle you don’t often use, you will get better, I guarantee.
On my end, I will be impeccably prepared, committed to each and every one of you, and to the value you will get out of the course. I will have concrete objectives for each choice of case and the overall course. I will support your ownership of each discussion. When you prepare a case, there are a number of questions you can routinely ask yourself. It’s very likely you will also hear me ask them in class.
Questions
The following are some questions I would routinely ask myself as I read a case. You should too.
2•
What’s the overall theme or story here? Where do we find ourselves? What do you think about what has taken place so far. Now that you have read the case,what is your sense of the matter, the critical issue or decision problem.
• How do you explain what has taken place and why we are here? What is your assessment of the situation? Do these things have any special meaning? How
might understanding these issues clarify other issues? How might you gauge the probabilities surrounding decision that has to be made.
•
Why do you feel that way? What supports your view?•
What would you do if you were the protagonist in the case? How would you go about doing what you recommend2
The following questions are based on Louis Barnes “teaching question for case study discussion.” HBShandout
The following questions might come up in the class discussion.
•
Why is your view so different that others view? Does anyone else have a different opinion of that view and why?•
What else can be said about this subject. Is that all that can be said or is something left out? Who can give us some more information that might be helpful.•
Which details are relevant to the critical issue that might be helpful to you or others to understand the case? Is there an order of importance to them? Whatmakes one more important than another?
•
Why is the situation the way it is? What might be the alternatives? How might we solve this problem or question?1 Hints for Case Teaching, HBS 1984
Some Further Notes
The cases presented here are taken from actual practice of executives. In a number of cases, names and locations are fictionalized. The cases are used to stimulate inquiry into the applicability of the concepts and theories we discuss. Hopefully the problems in the cases will expose both the strengths and limitations of management theory and assist you in formulating your own view of management and business. In this way the cases can be a bridge between the material from the lectures, readings and your actual practice from jobs and internships.
Each case situation is used to highlight one or more areas of critical concern to executives, managers, entrepreneurs both in the for profit and non profit sectors. Cases are drawn from several environments. One must be constantly watchful, however, for those occasions in which "principles" from one application should be applied only with careful attention to the specific context of a different situation.
Appropriate use of cases should sharpen analytical skills. In preparing a case, you should immerse yourself in the world of facts, values, attitudes, and feelings that are depicted in this "slice of life." Out of this welter you must identify the problems or critical issues facing the protagonist in the case. To do this there must be a clear separation of symptom and malady. After the problem is clearly identified, you should identify the causes of the problem.
Only on the basis of such a thorough analysis can you move on to the second stage of case preparation, that is, the generation of alternative solutions and the choice from among these alternatives. There is opportunity in this phase for the sharpening of synthesis skills. Synthesis here would mean the effort of putting the pieces of the situation back together again in the context of the executive's goals and the real life constraints. It is important here, then, to have crystal clear the ends to be served and the practical limitations to any solution. Just as in the normal, day-to-day affairs of any executive or entrepreneur, there is probably no one correct solution to any case - but there are less effective solutions. Undoubtedly, individuals and groups will develop preferred solutions, so you should be prepared with a well thought out justification for your solution.
Two cautions. First, when people with managerial experience are involved in a case analysis, they often find themselves solving problems by analogy and not by analysis. You may offer a solution that worked for you in a like situation in the past. The use of experience is appropriate if you know why your solution worked in the past and are able to tailor your situation to the facts of the case at hand. The hazard is stretching the present case to fit the analogy in past experience.
Second, it sometimes happens that a person involved in case analysis becomes frustrated because s/he feels s/he does not have enough facts. The executive in his/her day-to-day job very seldom has all the relevant facts and yet still must make decisions. So, too, in the case situation, with its limited set of facts, a decision must be made with the data at hand. Everybody shares what facts are available, and no one -- not even the section instructors -- have any additional facts.
Case discussion will be free wheeling and unstructured. However, in discussion there should be (1) a clarification of the problems, (2) the causes of the problems, (3) the alternative solutions, and (4) the recommended course of action. A willingness to be wrong is a prerequisite for effective case discussion. The discussion starts with the premise that each participant is a valuable resource for the learning experience of the whole group.