Innovative Training Methodologies-III
Case Study Teaching and Writing
April 12th 2015
Anjali Raina
Executive Director, India Research Centre,
Harvard Business School
What is a Case Study?
It’s a Detective Story
Through guided
discussion
The students arrive at
possible answers
Without a conclusion
Growing Interest in South Asia
Building Intellectual Capital
Students Interning in India
~169 case studies*
FY’08 – FY’14 :578
68 Research Projects**
Indian Faculty Trained in Case Writing and
Case Teaching
174 Best of Harvard in India Events covering
11652 attendees across 8 cities**
FY’08 – FY’14 : 719
Executive Education
FY’08-FY’15: 1823 attendees, 35 programs
and 60 scholarships
*Data from FY 05 ** Data from FY’ 06
HBS Faculty Engagement
147 Faculty Visits**
Case Portfolio : 169 Cases, 68 Research Projects
FY ‘05 - FY ‘15
Some Emerging Trends:
• Multigenerational Workplace
• The Digital Wave
• Rural/Urban Transformation
• Inclusive Growth Mantra
• Infrastructural Development
• Hunger for the ‘Good’ Life
• Citizens, Politics and the Revolving Door
• Growing Ambitions for Size and Scale
Leadership Challenges
Exploring Indian Managerial Dilemmas of Global Relevance
Urbanization & Sustainability
Leadership
• Land Acquisition in India: Public Purpose and Private
Property
• King Abdullah Economic City Design: Vision and Design
• Dharavi Developing Asia’s Largest Slum (A+B)
• Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
• Aadhaar: India’s Unique Identification’ System
• Narayana Hrudayalaya Heart Hospital: Cardiac Case for
the Poor (B) + Video Supplement
• HN Agri Serve : Growing Prosperity
Public Private Partnership
Organization Culture
• Delhi – Mumbai Industrial Corridor Case
• Dharavi Developing Asia ‘s Largest Slum (A+B)
• Bardhaman (A+B): Shrachi and the West Bengal Housing Board
• The Dabbawala System: On – Time Delivery, Every Time
• Mindtree: A Community of Committee
• Tech Mahindra and the Acquisition of Satyam Computers (A)
Base of Pyramid
Human Resources
• Teamlease: Putting India to Work (II) Legally
• Pratham – Every Child in School and Learning Well
• Intuit Inc: Project AgriNova
• Naina Lal Kidwai: Investing in Her Country
• Hindustan Unilever Limited
• Accenture’s War for Talent in India
Globalization
Crisis Management
• Bharti Airtel in Africa
• Hollywood in India: Protecting Intellectual Property (A+B)
• Can Bollywood go Global?
• Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer Centric Leadership
• Accounting for Catastrophes: BP PLC and Union Carbide
Corporation ©
Technology
Marketing & Branding
• I Paid a Bribe (Dot) Com
• eHealthpoint: Health for Rural India
• BMVSS: Changing Lives, One Jaipur Limb at a Time
• Excel Entertainment
• Jaipur Literature Festival – Beyond the Festival Template
• Building Brand Infosys
Innovation
• Tata Nono – The People car (A)
• Schneider Electric : Becoming the Global
Specialist in Energy Management
• Aspada
Strategy
• India’s Amul: Keeping up with the Times
• Coffee War in India: Café Coffee Day Takes on
the Global Brands
• Indian Railways: Building a Permanent Legacy?
• Special Economic Zones in India: Public
Purpose and Private Property (A+B)
Note: several of the case studies reflect more than one managerial dilemma
Finance & Accounting
• Axis Bank
• Getit
• State Bank of India: Transformig a State Owned Giant
• Blackstone’s Investment in Internet
• KGFS: A new approach to rural finance
Exploring Diverse Industries
Financial Sector : 19
• Aspada: In Search of the Right Structure for Impact
Investing
• Building a High Performance Culture at IDFC
• YES BANK: Mainstreaming Development into Indian
Banking
Agribusiness : 8
• Intuit Inc.: Project AgriNova
• Jain Irrigation Systems Limited: Inclusive Growth for
India's Farmers
• India’s Amul : Keeping up with the times
• HN Agri Serve : Growing Prosperity
Microfinance : 8
Energy : 4
• Equitas Microfinance (B): Response to the Andhra Pradesh Crisis
• BASIX.
• Ujjivan: A Microfinance Institution at a Crossroads (A)
• KGFS: A new approach to rural finance
• Schneider Electric : Becoming the Global Specialist in
Energy Management
• Accounting for Catastrophes: BP PLC and Union Carbide
Corporation (A)
• The Suzlon Edge
State Owned Enterprise : 5
Healthcare 13
• Aadhaar: India’s ‘Unique Identification’ System
• State Bank of India: Transforming a State Owned Giant
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.: Driving Change
Through Internal Communication
•
•
•
IT : 19
Infrastructure : 8
• Tech Mahindra and the Acquisition of Satyam Computers
(A)
• Building Brand Infosys
• Microsoft IT India
• Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor: India's Road to
Prosperity?
• Kumbh Mela: India's Pop-up Mega-City
• Special Economic Zones in India: Public Purpose and
Private Property
”eHealthpoint: Healthcare for Rural India
Cipla 2011
Fortis Healthcare (A)
Business Model: Hi-Tech Hi-Touch and Affordable
Health
• Narayana Hrudayalaya
Heart Hospital: Cardiac
Care for the Poor
• eHealthpoint:
Healthcare for Rural
India
Water
• Hindustan Unilever:
'Pureit' Water Purifier
• Sarvajal: Water for All
Housing
• Mahindra & Mahindra:
Affordable Housing
Documenting Business History
History of India
Case Series
Baker Library
2003 – 2013 – 7
cases - Bharti Group
• Part of the Business
History Initiative.
Plans to cover 20
Indian Business
Leaders.
Completed 8
interviews (dob
1924 onwards)
2005 – 2014 – 5
cases - Mahindra &
Mahindra
2002 – 2010 – 11
cases – Tata Group
2005 - 2012 - 4
Cases - Infosys
2005 – 2012 – 2
Cases - HUL
• Connecting to
Indian Data sources
& Archives
specifically with
Doordarshan, Film
Division and
Bloomberg
• Training librarians in
India
The Case Method in
Professional Education
Presentation Overview
01
Objectives of Professional Education
02
Choice of Pedagogies
03
Case Method
04
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Objectives of Professional Education
Knowledge
Skills
Professional
Identity
Leadership
Transmittal of information, concepts, frameworks,
tools, techniques
Development of capabilities with respect to analysis,
critical thinking/ judgment, decision-making, execution
Development of values, self-awareness, leadership
capabilities, capacity for on-going learning
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Choice of Pedagogies
Passive
learning
Lectures
Readings
Videos
Active
learning:
interactive
Active
learning:
individual
Writing Assignments, Research
Projects, Problem Sets, On-line
tutorials
Case and Non-case Discussions,
Team projects, Simulations
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method:
Why?
Importance of all
three levels of
learning in
professional
education
Proponents Assume
Advantages of
active (vs.
passive) learning
Additional
advantages of
interactive (vs.
individual) forms
of active learning
Value of student
experience,
insights
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method:
What?
Typically, a description
of an actual situation
associated with the
relevant professional
field
The Case
Ideally, the case
presents data (vs.
analysis) and requires
students to evaluate
issues and make
decisions
Cases often
designed to present
archetypes,
illuminate core
principles
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method:
What?
Cases may be assigned
alone or supplemented
with lectures, readings
The Method
Case analysis may be
purely discussion based or include
writing assignments,
presentations
Case instructor
styles range from
highly directive to
loosely facilitative
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: How?
HBS Model
Pre-class
Students
• Careful individual preparation of
case (and supplemental readings),
guided by assignment questions
• Discussions in learning teams
Pre-class
Instructor
• Careful preparation of class content
and process, drawing on teaching
note and teaching group if available
• Teaching plan includes learning
objectives, discussion segments
(“pastures”), question plan, board
plan, opening, closing, student call
list
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: How?
HBS Model
In-class
Students
• Role: learner and contributor to
collective learning vs. performer
• Active listening and participation
• Willing to take risks
In-class
Instructor
• Role: guide vs. facilitator; jazz combo
leader vs. orchestra director
• Respectful, yet sets high standards
• Encourages student-to-student
exchanges vs. pure Socratic dialogue
(instructor-student)
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: How?
HBS Model
Admissions
Design Features
Grading (MBA program)
Faculty Development and Incentives
Institutional Features
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: How?
HBS Model
Institutional Features
Admissions
• Admissions materials emphasize critical role, features of case pedagogy
• Applicants reviewed for interest, aptitude in development as professionals and
leaders
• Verbal, written skills in English
Design Features
Grading (MBA program)
Faculty Development and Incentives
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: How?
HBS Model
Institutional Features
Admissions
Design Features
• Physical architecture of classroom
• Sections, learning teams, cold calls
• Class size: 90 in required courses, 25-100 in elective courses
• No teaching assistants, but fewer courses/faculty member
Grading (MBA program)
Faculty Development and Incentives
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: How?
HBS Model
Admissions
Design Features
Grading (MBA program)
• Class participation: 50% of grade
• Fixed curve: 20% Excellent, 70% Satisfactory, 10% Low Pass
Faculty Development and Incentives
Institutional Features
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: How?
HBS Model
Institutional Features
Admissions
Design Features
Grading (MBA program)
Faculty Development and Incentives
• Training, support in case pedagogy
• Resources for case study development
• Incorporation of case writing and teaching assessment into promotion process, in
addition to research
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Case Method: Issues
1
Art vs. craft of case teaching
2
Critiques of case method: theory vs. execution
3
High risk/reward trade-off in case method vs. traditional pedagogy
4
Transferability of HBS model
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
HBS Cases: Locating HBS Cases
Contact:
Vinay Hebbar,
Managing Director Asia Pacific
Harvard Business Publishing
• https://hbr.org/store?cm_sp=Left%20Navigation_-HBR%20Store-_-LANDING
• https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/pages/home
Email id –
vhebbar@harvardbusiness.org
Objectives of Professional Education
Choice of Pedagogies
Case Method
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Resources on Case Pedagogy
Christensen Center Website
www.hbs.edu/teachingandlearningcenter/
Harvard Business School Publishing
www.hbsp.harvard.edu/product/participant-centered-learning