Collaborative Case Analysis
Students will work in teams to prepare a collaborative case
analysis on the Negotiations for Life case (text page 202). Each team will be
assigned either Scenario 1 or Scenario 2 by the professor. Teams will discuss
their assessments in their team Discussion areas and prepare an analysis and
recommendation in a collaborative report in the form of a paper. See MGMT570:
Guidelines for Case Analysis located in Doc Sharing.
The length of paper should be three to four pages, not
including the cover page and references. APA style is required for in-text
citation and references.
Due date: In order to have a meaningful discussion, one
leader from each team will post the report in the Overcoming Barriers
discussion by Wednesday of Week 5. In addition, you are required to submit in
the Dropbox for grading.
Submit your assignment to the Dropbox, located at the top of
this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these step-by-step
instructions.
MGMT 570:
GUIDELINES FOR CASE ANALYSIS
Some students initially
find case analysis of conflict problems to be difficult and uncomfortable. This
is due to the relative lack of structure of most dispute-oriented problems. No
correctly answered list of prequestions or mechanical process will lead to the
right resolution. In fact, there usually is no single, definitively right solution
to most managerial problems. When analyzing a case, remember that there are
often many possible solutions. The goal is not to find the solution,but to examine the case and practice
analyzing and solving real-world conflict issues using the concepts and
theories you learn about in this course.
Our goal is
to focus on the problem, the parties involved, and to examine the case and to
practice analyzing and solving real-world conflict resolution situations.
Please
use the following format to guide your thinking and to frame your written case
analysis (if required). This works if
you are formally presenting a case analysis or merely using the analysis for
your own discussion purposes.
Conflict Assessment: Part of your analysis is
to define the conflict and identify the issues, emotions, and relationships
involved. (Often there are multiple, interacting conflict resolution issues).
Look to any case guide questions (if provided) for some conceptual direction,
but do not seek merely to address these questions. (30 points)
¨
Define the major conflict issue.
¨
Identify the conflict resolution components.
¨
Remember: Often, the issues, emotions, and relationships are
directly described in the case, whereas the source of the conflict is not.
¨
If necessary, indicate how organizational factors affect the
conflict resolution process.
Situation Analysis: Another part of the
analysis is to explain the mechanisms that are causing the conflict. (35
points)
Ø
Incorporate specific
and relevant conflict
resolution concepts.
Ø
Avoid providing general or commonsensical responses that do not
incorporate course concepts, as well as just simply summarizing case facts or examples.
Ø
Don’t make assumptions that cannot be supported by the facts in
the case.
Ø
Be wary of imposing personal opinions on the case that cannot be
supported by case facts or relevant conflict resolution concepts; try not to
place blame.
Ø
Avoid providing viewpoints that are sketchy or overlook important
course concepts, case facts, and events.
Recommendation: All recommendations must
be developed that are appropriate measures that will ensure that the conflict
is resolved in order to develop a structured plan of action. Who is to do whatand
when?(35 points)
¨
Your solutions should follow logically from your analysis.
¨
Focus on the problems not the parties.
¨
What are the expected outcomes (both positive and negative) of the
solution?
¨
What aspects of the conflict remain unresolved by your solutions?
¨
Make sure recommended actions incorporate conflict resolution
concepts and theories. Although these recommendations are speculative, you
still need to be sure to incorporate relevant conflict resolution concepts and
provide specific, concrete examples to help demonstrate or support your points.
Evidence of Data Usage: Finally, there must be evidence of strong use of data to support
your arguments and substantiate your recommendations. (10 points)
Some other helpful hints for Case Study preparation
1.
The case analysis needs to be clear, crisp, and concise. Facts
from the case are stated only to make a point, not to retell the story. Do not
rehash the minutia, or details, in the case. The case analysis needs to be
organized; spelling, grammar, and word usage must be correct.
2.
Make sure your paper (if required) has a logical flow. Make clear
links between the identified conflict resolution, the analysis of the conflict resolution,
and the solutions proposed.
3.
Provide analysis, not description. Demonstrate your ability to use
and apply theories and concepts from the course material; integrate course
material where it is useful. Mine the text for nuggets of conflict theories
that help explain the issues. For example, it’s not enough to say that conflict
applies here; you must show how it
applies. You can’t simply say negotiation is the best conflict solution that
applies; you have to show how Mrs. X used an assertive style when a
collaborative style would have been appropriate because…….
4.
Be thorough. It is better to give a thorough, explicit analysis
focused on one or two primary conflict resolutions than it is to barely touch
upon six conflict resolution strategies.
5.
Sometimes students come up with amazing recommendations (for
better and worse) that have no relationship to their analysis. I want to see
that it’s the analysis that frames decisions made about the case. A poor
analysis that results in good decisions means that somewhere or other, you have
intuitively understood the case, but you need to backtrack and figure out what
you understood. A great analysis that results in decisions that come from left
field signals that you are not applying what you learned in your assessment or analysis
of the situation.
Some helpful hints for participating in Case Study discussions,
whether in the online threads, or elsewhere
1.
Keep in mind that there is usually more than one effective
approach to resolving the conflict. A case is a conflict resolution-solving
situation, and conflict management effectiveness often depends on seeing
different possible solutions.
2.
Offer your ideas, substantiating them with facts from the case and
course material. Don’t fall into the trap of being told, “That’s an interesting
idea, but you have no data or case facts to support your conclusions.”
3.
Be assertive, yet professional and respectful in questioning or
disagreeing with a classmate. Case discussions are an important opportunity to
refine interpersonal skills. “I see some drawbacks to your proposal,” or “I’m
wondering if you considered the effects of X on Y” creates a much different
climate than “You’re wrong” or “That’s not a good idea.” Adopt an open-minded
stance. Entertain new ideas from others, and consider how your recommendations
might change in light of these new insights.
4.
Write down new ideas that occur to you and make note of any
theories or course concepts brought to bear that you did not apply in your
initial analysis.
5.
Evaluate the discussion and your participation in it. What could
you do to improve in the next Case Study discussion?
6.
Enjoy yourself! Case studies can be an exciting way to learn, and
working in a structured way, one finds each new Case Study
easier than the last.
