What is important to write a good teaching case?

A good teaching case should expand the possibilities of learning. It must enable the application of principles, models and theories to management situations. We talk a little more about the characteristics of a good case here in this post.

Therefore, to start writing a case, you need to keep in mind:

1. The learning objectives with this case: what will it enable participants to learn? How will you collaborate with the training of administrators?
2. Problem Situation: What management problems will be addressed? What is the aspect that should be analyzed and/or decided by the participant?
3. The concepts, principles and theories to be applied: what theoretical elements will be addressed from this discussion? Which frames will be coupled?
4. The narrative: what is the organizational context, who are the characters, how do they interact with each other? What are the convergences and tensions of history?

It is important to remember that the case needs to be a journey, as Professor Scott Andrews says In this video of The Case Centre. For him, more than starting from point A to point B, it is necessary to know which points should be visited during the course of a case class.

Another aspect to remember is the importance of a rich narrative, with evidence, elements, aspects that allow us to capture the context of that organization where the problem-situation occurs. One caution: we must ensure that the way of telling that story is not infantilized or partial.

The characters, like all people, have their doubts, anguish, questions, insecurities, etc. These real and complex aspects can be explored, avoiding portraying the character only as a "hero". This aspect brings veracity and involves the readers of the case, who put themselves in the shoes of that character throughout the case.

And finally, a good teaching case should open up to several possibilities, instead of directing to a right answer x a wrong answer.