Teaching Cases Experientially

Abstract

Our introductory course in Organizational Behavior at the University of New Hampshire has evolved through several different stages over the last twelve years.Initially we relied primarily on lecture, then moved to a mixture of lecture and cases and, finally, relied heavily on experience-based methods.In the course of this development, cases often fell on hard times as they seemed to be at odds with the new experiential pedagogy. This led to conflicts over the relative merits of case vs. experiential methods and attempts to work out the right &dquo;mix&dquo; of cases and exercises.After much experimentation, we discovered a way to move beyond an &dquo;either-or&dquo; solution and toward a method of integrating cases with an experiential approach. This combines the personal involvement of experiential ' methods with the wide variety of situations and institutional settings available through cases. The method is deceptively simple! We structure the class period so that the manner in which the students discuss the case will parallel the major issue in the case. Since the class reflects characteristics which are representative of any organization, a structure can generally be created which parallels the case. By having the medium and the message tell the same story, the learning becomes very powerful. This approach has a further advantage in that it increases the willingness of students to examine their own experience. When they see that the issues contained in the case analyses are not dissimilar to the ones that they have just personally confronted, the threat in examining one's own behavior is reduced. This further permits the students to apply to themselves the concepts they are learning.One example that illustrates our process of integrating cases with experiential learning involves the &dquo;Case of the Changing Cage&dquo; . This is a sequential five part case. After each part, the student is.;asked to make predictions, read the next part to compare these with what actually happened and explain the reasons for any discrepancies. In this manner the student works his way through a dynamic situation of diagnosing, predicting, assessing, correcting.The case concerns a small work group of nine clerks under the supervision of a first-line supervisor, Ms. Dunn. The group is insulated from external influences by a wire enclosure reinforced by files to form a barrier to the prying eyes of the department head, Mr. Burke. The work group develops a stable culture in its isolation..In exchange for their autonomy, members of the cage group provide management with a reasonably high level of performance.As part of a larger change in work layout, the cage is relocated so that it is no longer isolated and insulated, but instead is subjected to the close scrutiny of Mr. Burke who frowns on many customs of the cage culture. The work group copes poorly with the change. Strain increases, performance falls and satisfaction decreases. The scenario is a familiar one, and the case is a classic.

A Decision Tree Approach To Decide When To Use Different Pedagogical Techniques

“…While the quadrants may appear discrete, this does not necessarily preclude more imaginative combinations where two or more approaches from different quadrants are integrated. For example, teaching cases experientially (Gadon, 1976). ' Some courses and training programs give primary emphasis to techniques included in a single quadrant.…”