I heard about the case teaching method before I joined the Senior Management Programme (SMP 71) at Lagos Business School. So I was really excited when we discussed the first case in my syndicate group because it was a collaborative way of learning, and pooling experience from the group as well as from real life scenarios.
In my opinion, cases teach you two lessons: ‘how to do things’ and ‘how not to do things’, and these are valuable tools for any executive who makes decisions regularly. Most importantly, case discussions help to understand the cross-functional approach to challenges. The way a colleague in HR will respond to a scenario in a case always differs from how his counterpart in finance will, and this adds real value and perspective to the class.
Case studies have influenced my career as I can better advise clients on how to make strategic decisions based on how it has been done before, or how it should not have been done. The past is a good predictor of the future and case studies are a good example of that.
My favourite case is the Indomie Africa: Lessons on Digital and Cultural Branding. I have spent the last four years helping to create communications and content on the Indomie brand, but was not really exposed to some of the brand’s history and how it has grown over the years. The discussion of the case helped me glean these insights and my colleagues’ perspectives on the brand.
