The Case for Case Studies: Leveraging Case-Based Learning for Strategic Innovation in Defense Acquisition

Abstract

Efforts to improve decision-making and critical thinking among Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition professionals have long relied on formal education programs, regulatory handbooks, and rules-based compliance education. While these approaches ensure procedural knowledge and consistency, they often prioritize checklists over informed judgment. In today’s complex acquisition environment, marked by rapidly evolving technologies, shifting policy priorities, and highly scrutinized resource decisions, it is imperative that the DoD cultivate the reasoning and judgement skills required of its acquisition professionals. One approach, as argued by former Havard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria, is the use of case-based instruction. Nohria contends that case-based instruction can develop professional judgment and problem-solving skills more effectively than conventional lecture-based approaches. Despite its success in sectors like business and law, case-based learning remains underutilized in defense acquisition, though its expanded use is now specifically directed under Executive Order 14265, Modernizing Defense Acquisition. In response to this mandate, this research analyzes current shortcomings in DoD acquisition education and presents a framework for the design, development, and implementation of case studies tailored to the defense acquisition environment. Using a real-world program as the foundation, this project also delivers a case study and an accompanying teaching plan.