How case studies can bridge learning gaps

In India, education institutions often fail to use an adequate number of relevant case studies in their teaching methodologies. Although a few Indian cases are explored, the majority of them come from western countries. Keeping this in mind, CII Western Region organised a conference-competition to encourage B schools and faculty members to take up the task of writing relevant case studies about Indian organisations. 

The conference aimed at encouraging sharp ideas and fresh insights within businesses and integrating them into a blueprint for the sector. “A number of Indian organisations like TATA, Mahindra, and L&T have had huge success stories that are worth understanding. It is important for us to discuss these case studies in various classrooms,” said TK Srirang, chairman, CII Western Region HR Sub-Committee 2014-15. 

However the lack of coordination between the academia and organisations has led to a failure in producing practical case studies. “While the corporates feel that the faculty members need to show more initiative to write, faculty members feel that the corporates need to give them the opportunity to get into the cooperate world,” warned Srirang. K Ramkumar, executive director, ICICI Bank agreed, “It's sad that only a few people have an idea of what a good educational curriculum is supposed to be. It's not just about case writing but also about knowledge creation,” he said. 

So can we create knowledge in this country? As a country we can pick up knowledge from other countries but we will never be able to respect Indian educational institutions until they create knowledge that has innovation. “Teaching requires knowledge to be created and codified by our people and only when we do that, will we be respected in the world as education leaders,” advised Ramkumar. 

M Damodaran, chairperson, Excellence Enablers and former chairman, SEBI, UTI and IDBI shared the same view, “I think we need to share not just the good, but also the failures of an organisation within the country, so that the mistakes are not repeated. I believe that failure teachers us far more than success ever does,” he informed.

Case studies are a great way to improve the learning experience as they get the learner involved, and encourage the immediate use of newly acquired skills. “The thing about case study writing is that you start thinking about issues which have more forward looking solutions or possibilities in order to understand concepts,” said Prabir Jha, president and group chief human resources officer, Reliance Industries Limited. P Tiruvengadam, senior director, Deloitte Consulting also agreed, “It's about reinventing ideas, because in the near future, interfaces are going to be far more complex and reading case studies will enable students to see a bigger and a more real picture,” he concluded.