Journal of Management Development

Using Cases in Management Development Programmes

William E. Fulmer
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To cite this document:
William E. Fulmer, (1992),"Using Cases in Management Development Programmes", Journal of
Management Development, Vol. 11 Iss 3 pp. 33 - 37
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621719210009965
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 Using Cases in Management Cases in
Management
Development Programmes Development

William E. Fulmer
The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
33
The first use of cases in management education and training can be traced to
the founding of the Graduate School of Business Administration of Harvard
University in 1908. At the time the most common form of graduate training
for business managers was law school. Harvard's faculty recognized that no
body of cases existed for business similar to what had been developed by the
Courts, so they began to write their own cases, which described "problems"
that faced managers.
Today, as then, good management cases describe real-world situations faced
by managers. As such, a case is neither just an example nor a complete account
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of a situation but a selection of events and impressions from a situation. The

case provides the reader with much of the information that was available to
the managers involved, so that the reader can now wrestle with "What would
I do if faced with this situation?". The key point of view always to keep in mind
with cases, unless otherwise instructed, is what would I do if I were the
protagonist in the case?
Why Cases?
The case-method form of instruction is based on the assumption that management
is more a skill than knowledge about techniques and models. Consequently, the
major objective of a case-method course is to provide participants with the
opportunity to develop analytical, decision-making, and communication skills.
Specifically, skills of analysis, including learning how to ask the right questions,
decision making, and persuasion are honed in a good case-method class.
There is a great difference between learning facts and learning a process
of analysis. Although participants can learn a considerable amount of "content"
in a case course, it probably is a less efficient way to communicate content
than other forms of teaching. In most situations the "process" skills are the
most important for management development. Circumstances change in a world
as dynamic as that of business, so that the "right" answer today might not
be the right answer tomorrow, but the skills developed in a rigorous case course
should remain applicable.

The Participant
Although most participants eventually develop their own approaches for preparing
a case, I will offer a few suggestions, based on my own experience, for people
who are new to cases. Journal of Management
As a first step, I find it helpful quickly to scan the case, focusing especially Development, Vol. 11 No. 3, 1992,
pp. 33-7, © MCB University Press,
on the first and last pages, the headings in the text, and the exhibits, in an 0262-1711
 Journal of effort to identify the major issue(s) of the case. Does the major issue seem
Management to be about expanding into a new market? Building a new plant? Dealing with
Development an unethical action by another employee? I then read the case very carefully,
11,3 underlying and making notes of key facts and figures that seem to relate to that
issue. By the conclusion of this careful reading I hopefully have a reasonable
appreciation of the issues in the case and have some ideas as to what the problems
and some possible countermeasures may be. Usually, a second reading of the
34 case is required. Next I will examine the exhibits carefully to see which, if any,
are helpful in understanding the situation.
It has been my experience that, until I can write a sentence or two stating
"The problem(s) in this case is (are) . . .", I will not be very concise in my analysis.
Once I have a reasonably concise statement of what the problem(s) is(are), I
work on analysis, both qualitative and quantitative, to distinguish the real
problem(s) from the symptoms and to demonstrate the magnitude or seriousness
of the problem(s).
Next, I begin identifying alternatives for dealing with the problem(s). Again,
I have found it helpful to force myself to state, in a written sentence or two,
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for each alternative that I have identified, "One way for dealing with this problem
is to. . .". In turn, each alternative should be analysed and then one should be
chosen as the alternative which I would recommend or on which I would act.
In both written case analysis and class discussion of cases, a very common failing
is to restrict oneself to the most obvious alternative. Practical creativity is to
be encouraged.
Too many participants stop their preparation after choosing an alternative. Yet
there are at least two more steps that I think are important. I think it is essential
for participants to think through how they will implement the alternative. What
are the specific steps or actions they would take to deal with this situation, both
in the long term and short term? Finally, it is important to think about how to
present your ideas in class if given the opportunity. How will you convince others
that your recommendations are sound?
As the above paragraphs suggest, analysis occurs throughout the case
preparation process. It is important to recognize that analysis is more than a
summary of case facts. Analysis requires a synthesis of the facts and data in
the case and an application of tools and techniques that are at one's disposal,
so as better to understand the situation, possible alternatives, and likely outcomes.
Participants sometimes complain about the lack of information in a case, citing
this as a reason for their lack of good analysis. I am usually not very sympathetic
to such a complaint, for two reasons. First, managers rarely have all of the
information they would like to have to make a decision. One quality of a good
manager is the ability to make decisions with imperfect information. Second,
if a missing piece of information really is vital to the appropriate analysis,
participants should make a "reasonable" assumption and proceed with a chosen
line of analysis.
Some instructors do not like to assign specific questions to each case, since
it makes participants aware that the case is an artificial teaching device. Rather,
they want the students to take at face value the situation which the case presents
 and forget that they are reading a case and are participants in a classroom. Cases in
They want the participants to become the people concerned with the situation Management
described in the case. Other instructors see benefits in helping participants Development
to focus their analysis.
As an aid to student preparation, a former colleague at the Harvard Business
School has identified 11 questions, generally relevant to all cases, that each
participant should be asking him or herself about each case[1]:
35
(1) Who is the protagonist?
(2) What are his or her objectives (implict or explicit)?
(3) What decisions (implicit or explicit) must I make?
(4) What problems, opportunities and risks do I, as the protagonist, face?
(5) What evidence do I have to help me to make the decision? Is the evidence
reliable and unbiased? Can I improve it?
(6) What alternative courses of action are open to me?
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(7) What criteria should I use to judge the alternatives?

(8) What action should I take?
(9) How should I convince others that my approach is best?
(10) What did I learn from this case?
(11) How does it relate to past cases?
Participants should draw on ideas and knowledge from all of their previous
education and experience. Participants and instructors do themselves a great
disservice when they artifically pigeon-hole problems. There are no marketing,
finance or production problems — only management problems.
Study Groups
Many participants find it helpful to meet a small group of colleagues after each
has done his/her individual analysis but before the entire class meets to discuss
the case. In this informal setting, each person can present his or her analysis
and recommendations. The objective is not to reach a consensus but to allow
people to try out their ideas in a less intimidating environment than in the
classroom, as well as gain new ideas and insights from others in the group.
Basically, study groups serve as a confidence-building sounding-board or
laboratory, where people can refine and amplify their thinking.
It is my opinion that good study groups can be one of the most effective forums
for learning in the entire management education process. However, good study
groups do not just happen, they must be managed. The very act of managing
a study group, i.e. a committee, is good management experience.
The Instructor
In a true case method class, participants are expected to come to class prepared
to present not only their recommended plan of action but also supporting
 Journal of analysis, both qualitative and quantitative. Some instructors like to have one
Management or more students start the class by presenting their analysis and
Development recommendations to the class. Once the starter's ideas have been presented,
11,3 he or she should be able to defend his/her postition when challenged by other
participants, including the instructor.
The case method is a "Socratic" process, where the instructor generally
does not provide answers to the case but rather facilitates the discussion of
36 the situation. There is a great deal of emphasis on participant interaction. Rarely
does the instructor openly judge the merits of a participant's comments but
other participants evaluate and respond to the comments. The instructor's
primary role is to prod where necessary to make sure that important issues
are not overlooked, not to lead with too heavy a hand. Consequently, the
direction in which a class will evolve cannot be predicted with great accuracy.
The objective is to have a healthy debate.
Participants frequently ask at the end of a class "what is the right answer?".
Such a question shows a lack of understanding about the case method. Rarely
is there a "right" answer. It is for that reason that some instructors do not
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like to reveal what actually happened to the organization in question. Some

students frequently assume that, if managers in the case took a certain course
of action and the results were good, it was the right answer. Right answers
depend on many factors, including the objectives being sought and the
assumptions made. Consequently, there may be several "good" answers but
no "right" answer. Management is not an exact science.

Conclusions
A good case discussion class depends much more on the efforts of the participant
than a traditional lecture class. Unless participants are willing to immerse
themselves in the case and actively participate in the class discussion, there
is little that even the best case-method teacher can do to salvage the class.
However, good class participation is more than just participants talking in class
and certainly more than participants stating opinions and merely repeating case
facts. It requires an ability to synthesize ideas and comments of other people
and clearly communicate one's own ideas.
Perhaps the most important skill required by participants and instructors in
a case class is the ability to listen closely to the comments of others. Only
then can you build on the discussion of others. This requires spontaneity in
the classroom, i.e. responding to the issue currently under discussion and
avoiding the delivery of prepared statements.
Perhaps the most important attribute of good case participants is a willingness
openly to disagree with others. Although many people initially are uncomfortable
disagreeing with peers in a public setting, a case discussion will not work very
well unless there is a disagreement. To disagree does not mean that people
have to be disagreeable. It is important to keep in mind that one of the objectives
of a case-method class is to develop skills of persuasion. If everyone agrees,
there is no opportunity to persuade. Likewise, if someone is offensive in his/her
disagreement, he/she is unlikely to persuade.
 In summary, a major reason why case discussion can be such a valuable and Cases in
exciting learning experience is that each individual participant brings his or her Management
own ideas, values, and experiences to the discussion. Consequently, if Development
participants have an open mind, they have the benefit of the insights of more
than just one person at the front of the classroom. Furthermore, if there is
the combination of good case participants and a good case-method teacher,
most, if not all, participants should leave a case discussion, having been exposed
to ideas they had not considered in their own individual preparation of the case. 37
There can be a powerful interactive classroom effect of generating ideas that
no one individual had generated prior to the discussion.

Reference
1. Shapiro, B.P., "An Introduction to the Case Method", Explanatory note to students,
reference No. 9-576-031, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, 1975, pp. 1-2.
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