This article considers two Master’s degree programs, both of which specialize in the use of case studies in the Master’s thesis, one applying the “research case study” and the other the “action research case study”. Working on real-life situations in the form of case studies and applying practical and theoretical perspectives, students become researchers of their own practice; they alternate their focuses between practitioner and researcher, widening their perspectives in order to become systematic learners of their own organizational contexts and intervention practices. The practitioner as researcher becomes an active party in observing his or her own interventions and learning. Hence a research case study becomes a living contribution enabling consultants and managers to move more effectively within a constantly changing environment and add to their repertoire of available actions.
The case study is developed as an instrument for investigating unclear and critical phenomena in which the researcher is interested. It is used as a vehicle which translates a consulting and management phenomenon into a comprehensible language. By telling the core story it becomes an effective opportunity to create an appropriate distance and new mindsets, resulting in new opportunities to understand and act. Above all, the practitioner’s future learning capacity is increased through the systematic renewal of perspective on his or her own actions in the context of organizations.
Leadership and Responsibility | Marah Queens | Qualitative Growth for People and Systems