Beyond Textbook Cases- Exploring the Pedagogical Utility of Medical Analogy and Metaphor in Learning and Teaching Strategic Management

Abstract

Students of strategic management are often inundated with a plethora of analytical tools from which they must chose a select few to help them to effectively analyse the forces impacting the sustainable competitiveness of an organisation. Choosing the right tool(s) can be daunting, yet crucial for understanding organizational challenges and crafting relevant and effective strategic solutions. This desk research study explores the utility of analogies and metaphors as pedagogical tools to prepare students to become adept in strategic analysis. Aristotle likened metaphors to puzzles, suggesting that, like puzzles, metaphors engage us in figuring out how one thing resembles another. It is during this active participation and interpreting that makes analogies and metaphors effective in making complex strategy concepts more relatable to students. Through the process of analogical encoding, this conceptual study argues that the medical analogy holds promise for effective scaffolding of students’ learning, demystifying abstracts and making them more relatable in addition to structuring thinking across domains as well as promoting critical thinking, decision-making, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration and communication skills - key 21st century skills sought by industry. By leveraging familiar medical analogies, teachers or educators can promote learner-centred authentic learning, simultaneously enhancing the students’ learning experience.