The Reflecting Team as an Alternative Case Teaching Model

Abstract

Contemporary business school faculties continue in their efforts to enhance graduates' preparation in terms of communication skills, critical thinking skills, perspective taking, and the ability to collaborate. The reflecting team case model presented here is a conversational, student centered, narratively based alternative to the traditional hierarchical, instructor centered, analytical model. It will hopefully be a welcome addition to the case instruction repertoire, aiming at the enhancement of students' skills in areas of both process and knowledge application. Process aspects include balancing power, dealing with gender differences, encouraging agreements among participants with diverse viewpoints, change processes, question construction, the art of positive denotation, and the development of action items. It is also attempts to place students in a `zone of proximal development', which would catalyze the development of more advanced models of cognitive and emotional intelligence.