Teaching Management without Cases

Abstract

Many of the qualities of case method teachitig stem from the classroom method and not merely from the case. This article describes five noncase exercises designed to achieve purposes that cases are often used to accomplish, but which experience indicates, can do the job more easily. They are all based on the proposition that attention to the classroom method and not merely to the case will allow instructors to teach public management more effectively.

Discussion report: Pedagogy for policy analysis and management

“…Nadia Boulanger was possibly the greatest teacher of composers in the last century, but no one performs her works. 15 But the canonical narrative form is not the only way to make a good case; a variety of exercises and suggestive exhibits can be used in this way as well and many are a lot of fun for students and faculty (Leone, 1989). 16 It's not immediately clear why David, who is Sachs' apprentice and singing student, adopts a pedagogical model so different from his master's, though I offer some reflections on the phenomenon below.…”

Curriculum and Case Notes

“…Using cases for teaching (Husock, 1995), developing simulations (Leone, 1989;McBeth, 1998), and attending to classroom "architecture" (O'Hare, 1998) are all techniques we use throughout the semester. As others have suggested, this course uses the classroom itself as a case that illustrates the principles of management and governance (Feldman and Khademian, 1999;Gilmore and Schall, 1996).…”

“…Confronting and investigating a current problem that faces an organization allows students to see first hand the importance of institutional and organizational context and reflect upon the implications of their analytical choices. Yet, like simulations and role plays, this course tries to overcome the personal detachment that can arise in case analysis (Leone, 1989) by allowing students to develop intimate knowledge about an organization and the persons working within it. While this can create situations where students may struggle to see beyond the specific project to the underlying theoretical issues, it is the instructor's role to make the translation between the specific and the general in class.…”

Chapter 10: Teacher Education and the Case Idea

“…A small literature has emerged that draws attention to the limitations and disadvantages of case-based teaching and to potential advantages of other forms of instruction (in addition to Argyris, 1980, see Leone, 1989). This work charges that a case curriculum is an inefficient means of conveying the codified knowledge useful to a complex practice; that single, vivid cases fail to help students see underlying issues and develop useful principles and generalizations; and that case discussions lack the impact of experiential learning, substituting instead the analysis of others' experiences.…”