Case Studies for Leadership Training - Ministry Exchange (MX)

Case Studies For Leadership Training Rich Lamb April 11, 2005

Case studies have been shown to be an effective and time-efficient vehicle
for teaching complex, people- and organization-related skills and insights.
To develop a helpful case study, you must identify some kind of tension. In
other words, a case study cannot simply be: 1) we had a problem, 2) we
solved it, and 3) things are now wonderful. That is a fine testimony, but a
terrible case study. Stories are like answers; case studies provoke
questions. The best case studies will be subject to discussion and
interpretation-they could go either way. The learning is not so much in
everyone getting the correct answer, but in people being drawn into a
conversation with energy and emergence.

Sample tensions could be the following: 1) Unintended consequences: “We wanted to stress evangelism so we converted all our small groups into GIGs. The result was that we lost a lot of people who stopped coming to small groups.” 2) Competing values: . to communicate the radical call of the gospel while being seeker sensitive . the tension between community and outreach 3) Obstacles toward the goal: We thought 20 people were ready to do GIGs, but nothing happened. We talked to them and discovered that, although they all believed it was a good strategy, they didn’t have specific plans for asking specific people to join a GIG in a specific time frame. We had to take a second look at how we were going to help people get specific. 4) Epiphany or conversion in the process: Started thinking one way but became convinced by circumstances or something else that the opposite is true. 5) Desired results not achieved: We got lots of people in the room, but only a few filled out interest cards and those who did ultimately didn’t seem interested. 6) Desired results achieved but at an unexpected cost (or at delayed cost): like unintended consequences.

Case studies either tell a story in the past tense that illustrates the
tension, or tell a story in the present tense that is incomplete: what
should happen next is the key element of the case study. Either form of the
case study works well: in the first kind of example people can identify
mistaken choices or assumptions or suggest alternatives that could have
been taken or could now be taken to rectify the problem. In the second case
people can discuss between various options based on their priorities. The
advantage of the second kind of case is that it draws people into the
tension, which may be a little more implicit than explicit. The advantage
of the first type is that it helps people to see in dramatic terms the
results of not paying attention to all the factors. Both types have
advantages for use in different settings.

The point of the tension is not that the example in the case must be a bad
example, but merely that it cannot be an unqualified good example, positive
in every way without any downside. The learning happens as people either 1)
relate to the identified problem and therefore are taken through a thought
experiment as they relate the solution in the case to their own simliar but
not exactly the same situation, 2) recognize that they have tried solutions
similar to the ones in the case but have failed to think through the
learning involved as they evaluate the tension, or 3) are inspired by
either problem or solution to take steps they would not have done
otherwise, but with eyes wide open regarding the possible tensions they
will face and at least some thoughts about how skillfully to navigate them.

The case studies could be formatted with answers to the following
questions:
1) Presenting problem or issue: What is the concern or problem you were trying to address? What did you do? (Optional) What were the results? How did it go? Did you evaluate?
2) Student, small group or team caught in a tension: describe the team and illustrate the tension in the values. (Don’t spell out the tension-simply illustrate it, for example by mentioning options.)
3) A brief scene in which some training value is positively or negatively illustrated. For example, the shepherding case studies in Images of Leadership.

Case Study Development Exercise
Case studies can be brief and still be pedagogically useful. Work alone or
in pairs to come up with one or more brief case studies on one of the
following topics or a topic of your own.

Case studies for use with students: 1) Leadership selection case study:
briefly describe four people, each of which could arguably be ready for
leadership but each of which presents some concern; 2) hospitality at LG;
3) small group outreach; 4) conference invitation; 5) evangelism.

Case Studies for use with staff: 1) The exec team shows little interest
spending time together other than to plan; 2) Leadership team meetings are
boring, slow, poorly attended, even though it is emphasized that they are
“mandatory” for leaders; 3) You have a student that has many gifts in
ministry and leadership, both within the fellowship and without. How do you
work with this person?

Try to quickly pick one scenario and try to write 5 sentences or so that
build out the
tension. 1) Give students (and faculty members) names; specify context (Emerson Dorm, Chem 101, The Springtones a capella group, etc.) Don’t add unnecessary detail, but make what detail that is needed concrete. (I.e., if the tension involves academics, give the student’s major and the course in question if need be. If it involves sports, give the sport. If it involves another student, give the name etc.) 2) Don’t tell us the tension, but paint us a picture: describe a day passing, use direct quotes, give a single example that is understood to be typical. Don’t give conclusions or observations: give data that allows us to draw conclusions or make observations. 3) If you have discussion questions included in the case, ask just a few open-ended questions that will generate discussion. 4) Keep the tension in mind and focus the case. Don’t introduce many different issues. 5) Finally, edit for brevity: use no spare words. Make every verb and adjective count.

If you have more time, repeat the process. Finally, email your case study
to me at RCLambJr@gmail.com.