Management Education and Case Method as a Pedagogy

Abstract

The use of case studies in management education is now universal and ubiquitous. So much so, this pedagogy is now taken for granted by the B-Schools. With ready availability of instructor accessories such as test banks, case teaching notes, and slides, instructors often miss out on the philosophical and scientific foundations of this important teaching pedagogy. They continue to emphasize the rational strategic analysis dimensions of case studies and end up in making the session a ‘do-it-yourself’ programmable kit. This paper argues that case methodology is highly context-specific in terms of effectiveness; therefore, the instructors must be careful about the choice and age of the case, keep in perspective the participants' (students') profiles, their background, and the lessons (conceptualizations) sought to be realized. This paper also highlights the second curve in the life of a typical MBA student and the process of his becoming a T-shaped knowledge-owner and a problem-solver. Later, through a matrix framework, the author brings forth the nature of problems faced by the managers. It is illustrated that unlike engineering solutions where usually there is one right way of doing things and the outcomes are fairly predictable, in strategic management cases, the problem complexity is often enormous and solutions could be multiple without an a priori (or even post-priori) categorical answer about the correct course of decision and action. This paper essentially deals with the following issues of case study method: Foundational, philosophical, and scientific bases of case method as a pedagogical tool. The need for instructors to be sensitive to the possibility of using case method with a good mixture of theoretical conceptualizations and lectures for arriving at inductive or deductive frameworks and heuristics. The author shows how the case methodology seeks to overcome the limitations of the lecture method where one �guru� comes and delivers ‘known’ knowledge in a highly structured format. In an ever-evolving dynamic scenario, it is important that the students develop heuristics and algorithmic capabilities (that is being ‘approximately right’) by thinking through the problem complexity and the likely impact of a managerial decision on a variety of forces in the near mediumand long-terms. The focus, thus, must not only be on the analysis of the content of strategy, but also on the underlying strategy-making processes. This ought to be clarified to the students of management that there are seldom situations in the corporate and public contexts that can be neatly summed up in standard answers. The author argues that a case method class is a mission on creativity where many perspectives and backgrounds cross each other to produce a mix of strategic and innovative ideas. The role of case instructors ought to be to help students appreciate various viewpoints, harness the workable ideas, and then arrive at a common solution. This paper closes with the following recommendations: Case instructors must act like ideas- and perspectives-brokers and harnessers rather than imposing their own views in the classroom. Sessions could be great fun and learning experiences for all if, with prior preparation, instructors can bring forth examples and ideas from various fields and disciplines (including sports and entertainment).