What Makes a G ood Holistic Management Decision Case (HMDC)
Created by the White Eagles
April 24, 2004
Holistic Management Decision Cases are useful to
introduce new learners to holistic decision-making or to help more experienced
learners improve their practice. In
addition to helping to teach Holistic Management, HMDC’s may be useful to help
learners improve their judgment, change attitudes about difficult issues,
acquire synthesis skills, or enhance their problem solving skills. Decision cases are not very useful as a
means of teaching facts or technical knowledge. Some knowledge of the context of the situation is needed in order
for the case to be useful. HMDC’s also require an investment of time by the
participant-learners and assume at least a minimum level of motivation.
If you think a Holistic Management Decision Case
will be useful in a teaching and learning situation, we suggest that you
consider the following parameters as you create your HMDC. Of course, not every point may be relevant
to your particular HMDC.
·
A good HMDC has:
o A decision maker(s) and
clear Whole Under Management
o A specific problem or
dilemma that requires a Holisticgoal to address
o Related issues which
necessitate the use of Testing Questions
o Alternative solutions
·
A good
HMDC should include:
o A Holisticgoal
o An opportunity to practice
using the Testing Questions
o An opportunity to practice
using the Diagnostic Tools
o An opportunity to identify
the root cause of a problem
·
A good HMDC is developed to demonstrate the value and impact of
holistic decision-making. It is important that you know
your audience for the case, have outlined specific learning objectives, written
the case, and tested the case with this in mind. A good case will create a learning environment in which
participants will “yearn” to learn more about Holistic Management.
·
A good HMDC tells a story. A good
story will allow participant-learners to “get inside” the whole self of the
decision maker and view the Whole Under Management and the Holisticgoal from
that perspective. Participants will
gain more from the experience of working with a HMDC if they are fully engaged. While many decision cases use conflict or
drama to engage learners, we do not necessarily believe these are necessary or
even useful. Commitment to the story
may be generated in more hopeful, engaging ways as well.
·
A good HMDC is a set as close to “real time” as possible. Historical or classical cases are interesting but allow the
participant to separate themselves (in time) from the decision-maker. It is important for the participant-learner
to believe the decision case is at least potentially real and relevant.
·
A go od HMDC creates empathy with the decision-maker. The personal attributes of the decision-maker will influence the
way the decision will be made.
Therefore the learning objectives of the case are more likely to be
achieved if the participant-learner can “get inside” of the situation being
described and feel in tune with the decision-maker as much as possible. This will most likely happen if the decision
case situation is relevant to the participant.
A useful case will be one that the participant is likely to know or
face.
·
A good HMDC will encourage thought provoking dialogue among diverse
participant-learners. Creative solutions are most
likely to be discovered by participants when diversity of opinion and
background is encouraged. This will also likely enhance engagement and
learning.
·
A good HMDC should include a relatively simple decision that generates
a discussion of creative solutions. The original decision to be
tested should be relatively simple and specific, as complex decisions are not
likely to be useful for learning specific objectives. Seemingly simple decisions however may generate a discussion of
multiple options by applying human creativity to the Resource Base or seeing
beyond single objectives to serving the Holisticgoal.
·
A good HMDC occurs within a complex environment and learning should be
generalizable beyond the specific situation.
Cases must be about more than a minor or local issue. General learning of principles, scientific,
ethical or otherwise may often gleaned from a simple decision.
·
A good HMDC has options and “expects” a decision will be made. Urgency and seriousness among participants will be enhanced by a
decision that seemingly “must” be made.
That is “no decision” has implications.
If the decision involves a paradox or dilemma, creativity and learning
may be enhanced. Cases with “obvious”
solutions are not very learningful.
·
A good HMDC will help the participant learner recognize the necessary
coherence between the Holisticgoal and a good decision. This is particularly important during the development of
Temporary Holisticgoals at which time decision-making may help improve the
Holisticgoal.
·
A good HMDC is brief. It will be
difficult to sustain the attention or interest of participants if the case is
too long. Cases should be just long
enough to introduce the facts of the situation, without becoming so boring as
to be tedious. An effort should be made
to include only necessary facts about the situation in the decision case
itself, with only necessary ancillary facts in the attached Exhibits.