Teaching (Strategy) as Child’s Play

Teaching strategic management is a serious endeavour. Given the complexities of the subject matter it is no wonder that we teach it at the senior level. All these dynamics open up their own teaching paradoxes of how much emphasis do we put on more lecturing or more discussions, on more theory or practical examples; between the importance of exploration versus exploitation, between ensuring well runed organization or keep up with the changes in our environments; should the focus be more on internal issues versus external stakeholders, or placing more attention on planning or on implementation… To exacerbate these tensions why do we resort to simplifying the complex world by teaching about issues that are known, certain, structured, routine and defined, instead of the opposite (unknown, uncertain, unstructured, ill-defined and the unanticipated)? Ironically, our traditional teaching illprepares our student for a broken world. As such they often get STUCK in the face of such contradictions, dilemmas, conflicting demands and trade-offs. Their views of the world shrink and they end up resorting to their past habitual practices of certainty, routines, and clean theoretical models. This inaugural “PREP” conference presentation will showcase an innovative pedagogical innovation (grounded in solid theory and research) designed to help the learner open up the alternatives to the paradoxical binds they (will) confront in the real world of practice. I will share how, through “intelligent play” using the F.O.C.U.S.E.D. framework (consisting of seven tactile physical dice set each with its own inscribed questions, prompts and statements)
(see Appendix 1), has the power to cultivate paradoxical / Janusian mindset in the learner (and hence increasing their cognitive complexity).