Now you know the three core scenarios you’ll encounter in cases and how to identify them. Your next step is to integrate this knowledge with a reading process tailored to cases.
In contrast to a textbook, a case requires an active reader. You can’t sit back and expect the case to tell you what you need to know. You have to examine and rearrange its puzzle pieces, looking for a meaningful pattern.
The process is similar to a research project. You wouldn’t gather and read all of the possible sources. You would look for sources on specifi c aspects of the issue you’re researching, sort them into categories, read them to determine their relevance, and if they are relevant, capture the informa- tion. It can be useful to think of a case as a type of research project.
Remember that cases don’t tell you what they mean; they don’t provide clear- cut answers. You have to be an active reader in order to fi nd answers that make sense to you; “active reader” means that you ask questions and look for answers in the case.
Here is a series of eight questions for investigating a case that integrate the core scenarios discussed earlier in this chapter. Eight may seem to be an impractical number, but the fi rst fi ve can be accomplished quickly, especially after you have used them a few times. You should consider how much time an undirected reading and analysis of a case takes. Reading, highlighting text without being sure whether the text is important, taking notes without knowing whether they’re important, rereading, highlight- ing more text, and taking more notes— the random approach can take hours and still be unproductive and therefore frustrating.
Many professors provide study questions for cases they assign for discus- sion, and sometimes students are confused about how to use them. Your fi rst option is to ask your professor whether you should prepare answers to them. Typically, professors provide the questions as guides to important issues in the case, but don’t expect you to prepare formal answers.
Case Reading Process
1. Read the fi rst and last sections of the case. What do they tell you about the core scenario of the case?
These sections typically give you the clues needed to identify the core scenario.
2. Take a quick look at the other sections and the exhibits to determine what information the case contains.
The purpose is to learn what information is in the case and where. Avoid reading sections slowly and trying to memorize the content.
3. Stop! Now is the time to think rather than read. What is the core scenario of the case? What does the main character have to do? What is the major uncertainty?
Identify the core scenario by asking the two questions. Once you are reasonably certain of the core scenario— decision, evaluation, or problem diagnosis— you can use the relevant framework to ask the questions in the next step. Those questions will give you a specifi c agenda for productively exploring the case.
4. What do you need to know to accomplish what the main character has to do or to resolve the major uncertainty? List the things you need to know about the situation. Don’t worry about being wrong.
This is probably the most important step of the entire process. If you don’t know what you’re looking for in the case, you won’t fi nd it. The right core scenario framework will prompt you to list things that you need to explore. For example, for a decision scenario case, you should think about the best criteria the main character can use to make the decision. To determine criteria, think about quantitative and qualitative tools you’ve learned that can help you.
5. Go through the case, skim sections, and mark places or takes notes about where you fi nd information that corresponds to the list of things you need to know.
6. You’re ready for a deep dive into the case. Carefully read and analyze the information you’ve identifi ed that is relevant to the things you need to know. As you proceed in your analysis, ask, How does what I’m learning help me understand the main issue?
The most effi cient and least confusing way to read and analyze is to peel the onion— to study one issue at a time. For instance, let’s say that a decision has fi nancial and marketing criteria. Analyzing the fi nancial issues separately from marketing is far less confusing than trying to switch back and forth.
As your analysis moves from issue to issue, you may discover gaps in your knowledge and have to add items to your list of what you need to know.
7. Your ultimate goal is to arrive at a position or conclusion about the case’s main issue, backed by evidence from the case. Remember, there are usually no objectively right answers to a case. The best answer is the one with the strongest evidence backing it.
As you learn more, ask, How does what I know help me understand the main issue? When you are preparing a case for class discussion, consider alternative positions. Finally, take some time to think about actions that support your position.
8. What actions does your position support or require?
In the real world, analysis is often followed by action. A decision obviously has to be implemented. Usually the entire point of a problem diagnosis is
to target action that will solve the problem. And even evaluation has an important action component: sustaining the strengths and shoring up the weaknesses that it has revealed.