The Ethical Leadership Collection: Mini Case Studies
Quick In-Class Exercises in Leadership
The mini case studies can fit on a PowerPoint slide or be given to students as one page to read. They were developed to be processed in-class, over the course of an hour. Use of the minis helps students identify the problem, pinpoint possible solutions, and create holistic action plans.

- (PDF file) Leadership among Friends (opens in new window) : Untangling Competing interests
Keywords: employee relations, compensation management, situational leadership - (PDF file) Facing the Challenge: (opens in new window) Caught Between HR and Difficult Workers
Keywords: employee relations, industrial relations, mental illness - (PDF file) Customer Disservice: (opens in new window) A Chronically Late Employee Causes Cascading Problems
Keywords: employee relations, customer service, discipline, situational leadership - (PDF file) Stepping Up to Your Own Truth: (opens in new window) The Consequences of Saying the Wrong Thing
Keywords: employee relations, diversity, workplace anxiety, crisis management, organizational development, situational leadership - (PDF file) Communicating Incentives to Others: (opens in new window) Controlling Competitive Co-Workers
Keywords: employee relations, compensation, sales - (PDF file) Going Head to Head: (opens in new window) Can You Trust Your Business Partner?
Keywords: entrepreneurship, eco-tourism, accounting, integrity - (PDF file) Repeat Offenders: (opens in new window) When Stopping Crime Goes Awry
Keywords: employee relations, industrial relations, discipline, organizational culture - (PDF file) To Produce Yoga Pants in India vs Not to Produce Yoga Pants in India: (opens in new window) Reconciling Social Responsibility with Corporate Reality
Keywords: supply chain, global development, marketing, eco-business, B-corporation - (PDF file) Who Do You Hire? (opens in new window) Ensure Your Decision Is the Right One
Keywords: employee relations, recruitment, diversity, organizational development - (PDF file) Religious Accommodation: (opens in new window) The Clash Between Faith and Workplace Needs
Keywords: employee relations, organizational development, diversity
- (PDF file) Do Guests Always Call the Shots? (opens in new window) When Customers Oppose Your Diversity Policy
Keywords: employee relations, customer service, crisis management, diversity - (PDF file) Love Lost in an Island Paradise: (opens in new window) Avoiding a Disastrous Workplace Stoppage
Keywords: industrial relations, social responsibility, compensation, global development - (PDF file) What Did You Just See? (opens in new window) Diagnosing Harassment
Keywords: employee relations, harassment, software industry - (PDF file) Start of Season: (opens in new window) Leadership Style Sets a Tone
Keywords: employee relations, discipline - (PDF file) Missing the Message: (opens in new window) Organizational Culture and Boundaries at Work
Keywords: team relations, harassment, workplace culture - (PDF file) “Their” People: (opens in new window) Competing with Racial Prejudice
Keywords: racial discrimination, bystander, hiring process, corporate culture (PDF file) Version Français/ French version: <<Leur peuple>> - (PDF file) Leadership with Style: (opens in new window)
Keywords: employee relations, situational leadership - (PDF file) Leading in the Face of Skepticism: (opens in new window) Managing Older Employees
Keywords: employee relations, organization development, situational leadership - (PDF file) One for All: (opens in new window) How to Prevent Co-Workers from Letting You Down
Keywords: teamwork, group projects - (PDF file) Impossible Targets: (opens in new window) Managing an Unreasonable Manager
Keywords: sales, target setting, supervisory relations, job fit - (PDF file) Gamers Address the Arab Spring: (opens in new window) Coding for Cultural Sensitivity
Keywords: global development, entrepreneurship, diversity
Teaching notes
The mini case studies require no preparation on the part of students. The teaching method has been effectively used for classes up to 75 students. The attached teaching method provides a marking rubric and an in-class form that can be used with students to aid in-class analysis and discussion. (PDF file) Download the Teaching Notes (opens in new window)
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Please inform us of your experience by contacting Dr. Gail Cook Johnson, our mentor-in-residence, at gcookjohnson@torontomu.ca.
