I have a small project with a high tech firm to develop a "case study" on the
>turnaround of one of its smaller business units (a warehouse operation of
>about 60 people)...
>The senior executive believes lots of things were done right and he does not
>want the learning lost. He wants a case study that can be used in the
>company's "Managing at ....." course.
...
>I've developed several case studies in the past, but I want to do something
>different here. I usually do interviews and focus groups and capture the
>"voice of the participants" either on audio or video tape and then put
>together a story along with a summary and recommendations.
>
>I'd like to get the 60 participants (or a representative group) in this
>turnaround to actually develop their own case study. I'm thinking of having
>them put together their own story--again using audio or video---along with
>their summary and recommendations. I'd like to do it in a way where they
>relive what they learned and maybe even be able to make some additional
>enhancements from this process.
>
>Do any of you have experience developing these living case studies? Any
>advice from your experience? Are there any dangers to having the
>participants develop their own story? Any reading you'd recommend to me for
>how to facilitate this process?
Here is one piece of advice:
As a researcher and consultant is was engaged in an experience transfer
project in a Norwegian oil company. We tried to gather and disseminate
experience based information across different projects in order to develop
strategies for production and maintenance. We soon discovered that parts of
the experience we got was impossible to force into standardized methods of
transfer (reports, operating procedures, etc.). The knowledge was tacit (see
also Polanyi, The Tacit Dimension, Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith, 1983).
Our idea then, was to let the people who had these experiences write a play
for a "company theatre", and themselves be the actors. Unfortunately some
seniors found this idea to wild. I'm sure that both the actors and the
audience would have remebered such a learning lesson for the rest of their
lives.
But the idea is hereby spread. If you find it useful, let me know.
The best for the new year to you all !
Wiggo Hustad
Western Norway Research Institute
Box 163
N-5801 Sogndal
Norway
Wiggo.Hustad@vf.sognhs.no (Wiggo Hustad)