Fostering divergent thinking in management education: A five-stage model of student case writing

Management education remains problem-solving-centric, yet real-world management challenges are typically ill-defined. This creates a discrepancy between classroom learning and workplace needs. Fostering divergent thinking is crucial to address this discrepancy, and engaging students in case writing is an effective way to develop this skill. While early exposure to ambiguity is crucial for developing divergent thinking, using student case writing to foster this skill in first-year management students is underexplored in academic literature. To that end, the study explores the theoretical underpinnings of case writing as a pedagogical tool to foster divergent thinking. Data was collected using a mixed-methods approach from 646 students over a 5-year period across two universities. Results show that student case writing is effective across personality types, leading to a five-stage model grounded in the student experience. This model offers a theoretical framework to understand the mechanisms through which case writing fosters critical thinking. Positioning students as coconstructors of managerial meaning under ambiguity, it contributes to our understanding of how learning emerges through storytelling. Finally, practical implications are proposed for educators.