The right approach to solving a casestudy in management education

Management education is at a crossroads. There are increasing questions about the relevance and usefulness of management programmes. Is everything going well in management education, or is something going wrong?

Over the last two and a half decades of experience in management education, the writer has encountered specific fundamental issues in the way it is pursued.

In this article, the writer focuses solely on one aspect—the case study method of learning in management education. This method of learning was started at Harvard Business School in the last century. It is a powerful method for exposing students to various real-world problems and for using case studies and examples to learn how to analyse and solve real-world challenges.

So, the method is good. The method is sound. However, the way it is used in many places is far below the desired level, lacking both rigour and subsequent learning.

The author has repeatedly observed that when a case is given to students, many jump directly to the solution without following a robust process.

The most important part of a case study is to identify the right problem. If the right problem is not identified, the case study loses its purpose.

To identify the right problem, the most essential requirement is to ask good questions—quality questions, questions with depth. By asking the right, good-quality questions, one can identify the right problem. Not only that, but asking the right quality questions can also lead to a solution.

Therefore, instead of jumping to conclusions and solutions, the case study method must ensure that at least three things are practised during the case discussion. First, identify the right problem. Second, list down the right questions and the sequence in which they need to be asked, as warranted by the problem, to find the solution. Third, reflect on the case discussion, identifying the key learnings and how they can be applied in various situations in the student’s life.

By focusing on the process and a sound case-handling method rather than just jumping to conclusions and solutions, one can learn a lot from this technique.

This approach to case studies, and the repeated practice of it, will help students cultivate the habit of identifying the right problem, asking the right quality questions, and reflecting on and assimilating the learning for future application. This will further help them learn and take on the challenges and opportunities of the corporate world and life.

(This article is written by Dr Rajesh K Pillania, Professor, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. This is an opinionated article; EPN has nothing to do with this editorial.)