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Conduct a Quick Case Study

A QUICK CASE STUDY can be a great development opportunity. The case study could have to do with a project, ethics, leadership, or any number of “real” organizational topics. Harvard Business Review has a number of case studies and a quick search on the Internet will likely yield many examples that you can share with your team.

The case study can be an opportunity to challenge team members to think in new and different ways. You could even make a small competition of it and have some fun with your team. A wonderful by-product of case studies is that they allow team members the opportunity to learn from one another in a fairly safe and nonthreatening environment. After teams have discussed how they would approach the situation, engage in a discussion of how various team members used different methods with the case. Then develop a plan of action as a group. After a few hypothetical cases, introduce real organizational issues to team members in a case analysis format. This process will help them better understand the challenges inherent in your industry. In addition, it will introduce them to the complexities of your field.

After reviewing several cases and analyzing them, one leader in a high-tech manufacturing environment developed his own case. Group members gathered data from one of the organizational issues with which they were challenged and constructed a case. They shared this electronically so they could revise, as necessary. Interestingly, while developing the case, they identified some solutions they had not considered in the past. Ultimately, they determined that the reason for this “aha!” was that the case was written for everyone to see. Developing a holistic picture led them to a system-wide solution.

Get creative and make this a competition. Challenge employees or teams of employees to identify challenges (“cases”) and work to develop the best solutions. Offer a prize for the winning team and have some fun with it. Which brings up an important point: Development can be fun with some creative thinking on your part.