FACULTY Q&A // Meet Professor Linda Ronnie
Prof Linda Ronnie shares with us the early days of teaching cases at the GSB, as well as some of her favourite case classes, plus her top case teaching tips for faculty
Linda Ronnie is Professor Emerita: Organisational Behaviour and People Management. She is also an academic advisor to the national Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) National Collaboration Project: Future Professors Programme (Phase 1). A National Research Foundation (NRF) rated scholar, Ronnie has published in the fields of organisational behaviour and higher education with a focus on the intricacies of the employer-employee relationship through the lens of the psychological contract. She is the former dean of the Faculty of Commerce and the recent Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning. She is the proud recipient of the UCT Distinguished Teacher Award and winner of the inaugural Emerald Case Writing Competition, among other international case honours:
Second place 2021 CEEMAN/Emerald case writing competition: "Closed Loop: The art of succession planning" (with Sarah Boyd)
Top 20 most downloaded cases of Emerald Emerging Market Case Studies in 2018 (741 times): "Leadership challenges at Fritz Publishing"
Winner 2014/2015 Emerald/AABS case study competition: "M-Pesa: An evolution in organisational strategy" (with Mariam Cassim)
CWC: You were at the inception of writing teaching cases at the GSB. Tell us where your case journey began?
LR: My first exposure to cases was watching a colleague run a case in the classroom and I thought it was the most exciting, interactive lesson I’d ever seen. Prior to that I’d only thought of lecturing as a one-way form of communication in the classroom. And this was so exciting. I liked the idea that it encouraged student involvement and I saw all the benefits immediately. Also, having something that students can relate to beyond a theoretical concept. After all, what are we trying to do at the business school? We’re trying to talk about practices and processes that work in other settings and ask ‘what might you learn from this, and how might you adapt it to your own organisation?’
CWC: “M-Pesa: An evolution in organisational strategy” was the first GSB case that won a global award – the 2014/2015 Emerald/AABS case study competition. Tell us the story behind it.
LR: Mariam Cassim had chosen the case study option for the research component of her MBA and so she did the bulk of the work. My contribution was in the supervision and then assisting with the refinement of the teaching note for the competition submission. It was an amazing case as it was cross-functional: it focussed on people management and strategy. We were also lucky that we could have the CEO come and talk to the class, which was amazing as the business story was a real challenge. Importantly, the company was quite happy to reflect on their own missteps.
CWC: Tell us more about your field of research, organisational behaviour and change, and why these make great cases?
LR: The courses that I teach focus on the contemporary world of work and the relationship between employers and employees. Cases are an ideal way to bring across key learning areas, e.g. to understand the role of context in making relevant decisions, to raise awareness of the issues and practices that support and hinder the management and development of people in organisations, and to develop an understanding that no ‘best way’ exists in the management of people.
CWC: Why are cases important to learning at a business school and in general?
LR: It helps faculty become more aware of the interconnectedness of things, because while you’re talking about your area of interest, there’s always a connection to another. So faculty get to experience the interconnectivity between different facets of organisational life for themselves, and then also to make that apparent for students. It also brings practice alive in the classroom.
CWC: And why African business cases and their role?
LR: Context matters. Beyond understanding what happens globally, we need to look at what our practices and challenges are here on the continent. African cases provide an opportunity to appreciate the differences and similarities between us and other settings. Plus students travel and work in other parts of the world and this is all part of their overall development where they can share what works here. So these cases are absolutely critical for our students.
CWC: Tell us about a memorable case teaching moment and what stood out for you?
LR: Probably my most tricky case was on Fritz Publishing, which looks at toxic leadership. We were attempting to resolve the case issues in the classroom. I was sharing what research was telling us and students were saying, “but that’s not working for me, how do I deal with it in a daily manner?” And it really challenged me. We finished that case feeling like the situation was not that clear cut and there wasn’t really an answer. I like to end my classes on a high note. But what I learnt during that session was that I have to be absolutely comfortable with ambiguity. There isn’t one answer even though you can anticipate there might be one. That case really brought home that the real world can be quite murky. It was exciting and it was uncomfortable.
CWC: What might faculty find challenging about case teaching?
LR: If you are someone who likes putting things in boxes then teaching with cases is going to make you feel very uncomfortable. But it’s worth giving it a go, as it’s only then that you’re really unlocking something quite insightful for students and yourself. Especially if it’s one that you’ve written – students get quite passionate about the characters which is amazing to see.
CWC: Can you share your top classroom teaching tips for faculty who are teaching with cases?
- Always re-read the case and teaching note before the class. As no two classes are the same, you have to be aware of all critical points (and red herrings) that are likely to arise.
- There is no ideal answer to strive for. The focus is always on: students applying their critical thinking skills and enhancing their skills of persuasive argumentation, and the lecturer sharing the underpinning theoretical frameworks with the class.
- Involve students, e.g. ask them to take the perspective of a case character and explain how they’re feeling and what they’re experiencing.
- Students always like to know 'what happened at the end'. Best be prepared to answer that question.
CWC: What are the main incentives for faculty to write cases?
LR: For many years I used popular cases that were published internationally, but there’s a cost to that and it takes time to locate the right one. Besides the financial implication, it's important to write our own cases because writing local cases is a very practical way of decolonising the curriculum. We use local cases that make sense to students here and they get to the nub of the issue here without spending ages on understanding the context. Additionally, cases are set in different industries so then students learn that some issues are the same regardless of which industry you are in. I’ve also found that students reveal something about themselves in their answers to the case study questions so it’s a great way to get to know them and their perspectives, and there are unexpected learnings that come out all the time.
CWC: Tell us about the next case that you’re writing?
LR: I’m working on a case set in the financial services sector. It looks at the challenges of implementing a change initiative and maintaining momentum throughout the process. Unfortunately things don’t work out too well at the company and students are asked to suggest a viable way forward. It’s exciting as its relatable; there are often unsuccessful or partially successful organisational change events. Students get to reflect on how they might move ahead with fixing projects that come off the rails.
Read the cases
Check out these cases by Prof Ronnie:
"Hello Tractor: How a Nigerian agritech decides to pivot" Professor Linda Ronnie & Sarah Boyd
DBIA Case // Hello Tractor: Hacking mechanisation for smallholder farmers in emerging markets (faculty expert)
"Closed Loop: The art of succession planning" Professor Linda Ronnie & Sarah Boyd
"The buyout at Tru-Foods for you" Professor Linda Ronnie
"Leading change in a South African school" Professor Linda Ronnie & Sarah Boyd
"Career challenges at Media Inc." Claire Barnardo & Professor Linda Ronnie
"Alison Bourne: Leading at Bergmann Engineering Works (SA)" Professor Linda Ronnie & Sarah Boyd
"Engineering change at Acqua-Lyne" Professor Linda Ronnie
"Leadership challenges at Fritz Publishing" Professor Linda Ronnie
"Initiating change: Leadership in rural healthcare" Professor Linda Ronnie
"Bruce Hughes Healthcare and the management dilemma" Christopher Kerr-Peterson & Professor Linda Ronnie
"M-Pesa: An evolution in organisational strategy" Mariam Cassim & Professor Linda Ronnie
