Persuasion and Fairness: The Good Heart of our People

The "Good Heart of Our People” is an engaging case study designed to challenge participants in making complex, value-driven decisions. The case presents eight candidates competing for a transformative opportunity, each with unique strengths, challenges, and needs. Participants are tasked with evaluating the candidates based on three criteria: Potential Contribution, Alignment with the Mission, and Financial Need. The case encourages critical thinking, empathy, and fairness, requiring participants to navigate trade-offs and ethical considerations. Additionally, it integrates a persuasion component, where participants must present and defend their decisions in a compelling and structured manner, developing their communication and influence skills. This case is ideal for courses on leadership, organizational behavior, strategy, and communication, offering a rich platform to explore decision-making frameworks, implicit biases, and effective presentation techniques. Through this exercise, participants gain insights into the complexities of fair and impactful decision-making in real-world contexts.

The “Good Heart of Our People” case provides learners with an opportunity to critically evaluate a diverse set of candidates vying for a life-changing opportunity. Participants are tasked with assessing each candidate’s suitability based on structured criteria and presenting their findings persuasively. The primary teaching objectives include: 1) critical decision-making; 2) value alignment; 3) perspective-taking and empathy; 4) framework application; 5) discussion of bias and fairness; 6) practical and ethical considerations; 7) persuasion and presentation skills. This case is ideal for courses or sessions on leadership, strategy, organizational behavior, decision-making, and communication skills. It combines analytical rigor with practical communication exercises, enabling participants to gain insights into both the process and the outcomes of impactful, fair, and well-defended decisions.