Episode 33: Case-Solving Success Factors
May 7, 2025
Over my two decades of coaching case-solving teams, I have coached 301 teams at various levels, ranging from extensive coaching hours to just a few contact sessions. These teams have received over 170 awards and podium placements. In recent conversations with my coaching colleagues, we’ve discussed what I consider to be the most important factors contributing to this success. In a recent post, I highlighted a couple of these factors: positioning and being local.
I will explore these two factors more deeply than I did in my previous post and also discuss the importance of storytelling and how the story is communicated. This communication begins with positioning and the local context. Ultimately, the key is to use these factors to convey an authentic message about the solution.
Positioning
One of the first decisions in a case-solving exercise is to determine the role play. It’s essential to clarify who the judges are portraying and who you represent. While these roles are sometimes assigned by the case writer, they often emerge from the case information and can be somewhat flexible. Typically, the judges take on the role of senior management, while the case solvers act as external consultants.
A common mistake I have observed is students assuming that the audience is the Board of Directors when the case focuses on management controls—topics that may not fall within the Board’s purview.
Why is this distinction important? It primarily establishes the expectations for the situation at hand. Case-solving competitions and in-class presentations aim to introduce realism into the classroom, which is why the role-playing component is crucial. I have seen teams in competitions and colleagues during presentations overlook the role-play aspect. When I discuss this with them, they often express surprise, as they may not fully understand its significance. I consistently encourage my team to embrace this element, as it enhances our overall performance.
Furthermore, case-solving in competitions and in the classroom is most beneficial when it mimics real-world scenarios, and role-playing is a key element of that process. Positioning your case solution and presentation effectively is essential for successful role play. My former team members and students often remark on this when they enter the business world, noting the value of role play in interview processes and when making presentations to their leaders.
Being Local
Throughout my coaching career, I have spent a significant amount of time travelling to competitions around the globe with my teams. Often, these competitions are local, and the judges are typically from the surrounding area. What does this mean? It indicates that part of our preparation involves researching the local culture and unique aspects of doing business in the competition's location. This preparation serves two main purposes: first, it helps us better understand the information presented in the case, and second, it enables effective communication with the judges. Being informed about the local context allows us to tailor our presentation to align with the expectations of the community we are visiting.
The case will often reference the "local" aspects of the company. Understanding the culture of the organisation at both the organisational and local levels is crucial, particularly in the case of multinational companies. In live cases, some judges may come from the organisation itself, and many are typically from the local office.
I have observed that in some competitions, the cases originate from diverse regions around the world, while the judges are local to the competition site. An example of this is John Molson’s MBA ICC at Concordia University. In this competition, the cases often focus on organisations worldwide, yet the judges are mostly from the Montreal area. Although some judges may have international experience, they are generally unconnected to the organisations featured in the cases. For this competition, I dedicated a lot of time to educating my teams about various regions of the world and different industries they might encounter throughout the week. Additionally, if team members are already familiar with the region or industry presented in the case, they are trained to incorporate that knowledge into their solution presentations as much as possible.
Storytelling and the Message
Storytelling is essential for your success and is likely the most important factor, but it must be combined with the two previous elements I discussed. First, storytelling fosters engagement, creating excitement and energy within the audience. Second, it leverages the way humans communicate to convey information about your solution. I always tell my teams that the best story wins; they should aim to craft a compelling narrative that keeps the audience eager for more, much like a reader anticipating the next instalment in a series.
It's important to note that storytelling isn't just about the hook at the beginning of the presentation, although that part is significant. Instead, it encompasses the entire presentation and how the various elements connect. There needs to be a natural flow with peaks and valleys that resemble a conversation. Too often, when teams request my feedback, especially after I've served as a judge, they hear that they presented a series of slides without showing how those slides or ideas were interconnected.
A common issue is that the story becomes too lengthy. As Dr. Michael Gerharz points out, adding softeners to the message makes it take longer to understand. Therefore, it's crucial to strike a balance. Determine the key points that will clearly communicate your position and solution with minimal softening. This approach helps the audience quickly grasp the message and walk away with that understanding. In a case-solving competition, it's also about using the allotted time efficiently. This often means saying less and doing so at a more reasonable pace.
Michael's post can be found here - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaelgerharz_sometimes-the-problem-isnt-that-its-unclear-activity-7321141150222802944-igce?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABhWwQBX3mz5m5t2IWD6ppNmuXB7Yhuka0