Estudos de casos hipertextuais: rumo a uma inovação no método Harvard de ensino de gestão

Since it has been adapted to the teaching of managerial practice almost a century ago, the Harvard method of case studies is widely used in business schools all around the world. This article argues that new technologies of communication and information offer an opportunity to enrich such method with dynamically interactive resources and asynchronous collaboration. In order to attain such goal, the main characteristics of hypertextual interfaces are analysed, as well as the revolutionary potential of the Internet as a learning aid. As to the case method, specifically, the author argues that hypertextual interfaces facilitate an innovative way of representing multiple perspectives on the analysis of typical problem-situations found in ill-structured knowledge domains, as proposed by the Cognitive Flexibility Theory. He also describes how these characteristics have been built into the Applied Project of New Technologies for Online Case Studies - Panteon, an interface for creating and diagnosing hypertextual cases. Its prototype is currently being tested as a learning tool both in business schools and business organizations.