The Case Study as an Integrating Mechanism in Management Education

Abstract

Management schools, like all organizations, are faced with the need to integrate their differentiated activities to achieve organizational goals. To do this, they must devise appropriate integrating mechanisms to ensure that the efforts of their sub-units result in the pursuit and attainment of objectives.The paper reports a business school's efforts to integrate its primary activity-teaching an undergraduate business degree-through the use of a complex case study. IntroductionAll organizations are faced with the task of coordinating the efforts of their sub-units to achieve organizational objectives-management schools are no exception. Faced with relatively unstable environments, they have attempted to meet the changing needs of the business world by differentiating their activities, by developing courses in computer science, accounting, marketing and in the behavioural aspects of management. The problem however, is not that the differentiated sub-units simply undertake different activities but that this leads to 'different patterns of thinking-differences between units in members' goals, time and personal orientations' (McCaskey, 1974). With increased differentiation and specialization, the needs for effective integration in the teaching of management assumes even greater importance.Lawrence and Lorsh (1969) define integration as the 'process of achieving unity of effort among the various sub-units in the accomplishment of the organization's task'. Organizations facing relatively stable environments may rely on traditional mechanisms, for example, their management structure, to achieve integration; but for organizations facing unstable environments more elaborate mechanisms may be needed, for example, liaison officers, cross-functional teams or project teams.A significant part of any management school's activity is likely to be teaching, and the nature of this activity-with its abstract goal structure, ambiguous effectiveness criteria and task isolation-suggests a greater need for integration of effort if objectives are to be achieved. Many undergraduate management programmes acknowledge this requirement by devising special coordinating courses or projects.The remainder of this paper examines a management school's attempt to develop its own integrating mechanism.

Using Case Methods Effectively

“…Case methods aim to provide such experience. Jones (1983) promotes the advantages of the case method as an integrating mechanism in management education, describing cases that are used to cross traditional content boundaries. Apart from the benefits to students, these exercises also encourage a team approach to teaching, and "a broadening of perspectives of the management education process than would normally be acquired from the teaching of one specialist subject" (Jones 1983).…”