Leading change and adaptation

Week One: Writing up the personal case study

Choose a personal leadership experience to write a case study about. The case will have the following characteristics: 

• You found the situation challenging
• You think you can learn something about yourself and the organization from the situation
• You are motivated and interested in the situation to explore it throughout the course

Think broadly when choosing a case situation. It need not be limited to a work setting. Many powerful personal cases have examined sports teams, family dynamics, relationships with roommates or spouses, church and volunteer groups. 

The case is NOT an opportunity to show your strengths off to the instructor and fellow students. This leaves little room or motivation for exploring what you might have done differently – the paper will become “just another assignment.” As opposed to an opportunity for deep learning. Alternatively, I am asking that you not write a case about someone else. Doing so removes the opportunity to dig into your own preferences, choices, and strategies. Often the best cases are based on your own setbacks and failures. 

The case write up due in week one will become the basis for the papers written in weeks 2-4 in which you integrate what you have learned about the four frames. The case write-up will be 3-5 pages using APA format. Use the following organization for your case. 

• Introduction: Identify the key problems and issues in the case. Discuss the primary adaptive challenge present in the case and the various mental models held by stakeholders.
• Background: Provide the necessary information without getting too lost in the weeds. Provide relevant facts on the most important issues. What was your role in the case? Who were the primary stakeholders? What decisions were made? What was the outcome? 
• Theory Integration: Use content from week one materials to deepen the discussion of the case. How does the course content help you understand the primary leadership and organizational challenge? Don’t short-change this section. 
• Central Inquiry Questions: What are 3-4 primary questions you are left with as a result of the case? The answer to these questions should not be clear but set the stage for later analysis. Ultimately, you should be on the hook for these questions. This means they are reflective in nature and you are at the center of the inquiry. For instance, “Why did my boss make such a bad decision?” would not be a reflective question. Rather, “What are the ways that I can effectively speak truth to power when it feels risky?” is a question that you are closely involved with.  

Note that if you do not write an adequate personal case study the instructor may ask that you revise and resubmit the case study so that it can be used in the remaining papers.Use your week one case write up to analyze the case using the Structural and Human Resources frames. The organization of this analysis is flexible but a few criteria to keep in mind include.  

• Begin with a thesis statement (assertion) about the case based on your analysis this week and identify for the reader how you will go through a supportive discussion of that assertion.  
• The analysis must be packed with application of course readings AND utilize data from the case study itself. Be sure to use good citation and referencing. Balance the application of multiple frames covered in a particular week. 
• Tell the reader how the frame helps you understand something new about the case. Is there a way in which the frame is not helpful? 
• What central inquiry questions are you now left with as a result of the analysis?