A Step-by-Step Guide To Case Discussion
By ashi jain.
Final 45 - 2024
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Are you comfortable in Decision Making in a given situation How aptly you analyze the situation with a logical approach How much time do you take in arriving at a decision How good are you in taking the rightful course of action
Solved Example:
Hari, the only working member of the family has been working an organization for 25 years. His job required long standing hours. One day, while working, he lost his leg in an accident. The company paid for his medical reimbursement.
Since he was a hardworking employee; the company offered him another compensatory job. He refused by saying, ‘Once a Lion, always a Lion’. As an HR, what solution would you suggest?
Identification of the Problem:
Obvious: accident, refusal of job, only earning member, his attitude, and inability to do his current job Hidden: the reputation of the company at stake, the course of action might influence other employees
Action Plan:
As an HR, you are first expected to check the company records and find out how a similar case has been dealt with in the past. Second, you need to take cognizance of the track record of the employee highlighted by the keyword ‘hardworking’.
Given the situation at hand, he is deemed unfit for his current role. However, the problem arises because of his attitude towards the compensatory job. Hence, in such a case, counselling is required.
Here, three levels of Counselling is required: 1. Ist level is with Hari 2. IInd level of counselling is required with the Union Leader (if any) to keep the collective interest and the reputation of the company in mind 3. IIIrd level of counselling is required with his family members as they constitute of the afflicted party
If the counselling does not work, one should also identify a contingency plan or Plan B. In this case, the Contingency Plan would be – hire someone from his family for a compensatory role.
Note that the following options are out of scope and should be avoided: 1. Increase Hari’s salary so that he gives in and agrees to do the compensatory job 2. Status Quo – do not bother as long as the Company is making a profit 3. Replace Hari with someone else
1. Pinpoint the key issues to be solved and identify their cause and effects
2. Start broad and try to work through a range of issues methodically
3. Connect the facts and evidence and focus on the big picture
4. Discuss any trade-offs or implications of your proposed solution
5. Relate your conclusion back to the problem statement and make sure you have answered all the questions
1. Do not be anxious if you are not able to understand the situation well or unable to justify the problem. Read again, a little slowly, it will help you understand better.
2. Do not jump to conclusions; try to move systematically and gradually.
3. Do not panic if you are unable to analyze the situation. Listen carefully to others as the discussion starts, it will help you gauge the problem at hand.
All the best! Ace the GDPI season.
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Facilitating a Case Discussion
Have a plan, but be ready to adjust it.
Enter each case discussion with a plan that includes the major topics you hope to cover (with rough time estimates) and the questions you hope to ask for each topic. Be as flexible as you can about how and when the topics are covered, and allow the participants to drive the discussion.
Ask Good Questions
Strive to make your questions interesting (a good measure is your own interest in the answer), clear, and as concise as possible. Emphasize questions that require judgment and analysis rather than purely factual responses. You want as many students as possible to be engaged and interested in joining the discussion. Vary your question types and style to avoid being predictable and keep students engaged.
When calling on students, consider three strategies: an open call , where you call on volunteers; a warm call , where you provide advance notice to a student before or during class before calling on them; and a cold call , where you call on them without any prior warning and when they did not volunteer. If you choose to allow students to speak without raising their hands, be careful to monitor the impact on the distribution of who speaks when—those comfortable speaking out may not be representative of all of your students.
Listen Attentively and Monitor Airtime
If you want students to be engaged and listen to each other, you must also be sure to listen well yourself. Use what you hear to drive your follow-up questions and the next student you call on. As the facilitator, you need to balance the opportunities to speak in class as well as the amount of “airtime” each student gets. The airtime need not be equal in each class session, but track this over time to keep it in balance.
Allow Space to Adjust
Your teaching plan will include several key themes to cover. As you consider transitions, ask yourself a few key questions: Have you covered the key issues in the discussion? What remains to be covered? Is it imperative to cover that material today rather than in a subsequent class?
Incorporate Group Work
Small groups in and outside class can elevate the discussions and increase student engagement. Having teams prepare cases together gives students an opportunity to test ideas and lower the preparation burden. Within class, small groups can accelerate analysis, fill in gaps in preparation, and set up debates. Be sure to give groups clear instructions, and make use of any deliverables they create.
Embrace the Open-Ended
Most students will crave clear answers at the end of each case discussion. Be wary of sharing prefabricated slides with conclusions, and rely more on students to provide the lessons. Call on students to share their thoughts (these can be warm calls at the start of class), have small groups generate their takeaways, or leave students with a question to ponder rather than answers to write down. Vary how you wrap up each class to stay unpredictable.
The Art of Cold Calling
The Perfect Opening Question
Questions for Class Discussion
What to Do When Students Bring Case Solutions to Class
More Key Topics
Getting started with case teaching.
Key considerations as you begin your case teaching journey.
Teaching Cases in Hybrid Settings
How to balance the needs of both your in-person and remote students.
Assessing Learning Outcomes in Case Classrooms
Steps to equitably and credibly grade discussion-based learning.
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