This case won the 2024 Curtis E. Tate Jr. Award. The award is given each year at NACRA’s annual meeting to the case that is deemed to be the best case published in the Case Research Journal.
This case was featured in the November 2024 issue of Connect.
Who – the protagonist
Landon Wilson, a U.S. Navy sailor.
What?
Landon was a Navy sailor who volunteered and was accepted for a critical assignment with the Army in Afghanistan, where he led a fast paced, secretive team consisting of civilians from the National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation, one U.S. Army staff sergeant, and military representatives from the United Kingdom and Australia.
The team operated around the clock to produce classified intelligence for U.S. Special Operations forces.
Why?
What Landon’s team and supervisors did not know, however, was that he was transitioning from female to male, which could result in a discharge from the Navy.
Landon’s records in the Navy stated ‘female'; however, when he began training with the Army before leaving for Afghanistan, he stated on his records that he was male. Army personnel databases didn’t communicate with Navy personnel databases, so Landon wasn’t worried.
However, Landon’s Navy mentor was concerned. Landon’s mentor was afraid that Landon would not be safe when Army leadership saw ‘female’ in his records. Landon’s mentor didn’t know the systems were separate, so he told their home-base leader what was happening.
When?
It was in late November 2014 when Landon’s home-base leader called him to say he knew he was transitioning.
When Landon joined the Navy in September 2011, transgender people were not allowed to enlist, so he was aware he was taking a risk.
Despite the policy, however, in November 2012, Landon began gender transition. By early November 2013 in Afghanistan, Landon presented male, adopting behaviour, mannerisms, and appearance usually associated with men. His teammates and Army leaders accepted him as male.
Where?
Landon pursued the Army position in Afghanistan because he wanted to serve in a more dynamic role.
Key quote
“I thought, how much more energy could I have to focus on mission, on the Navy? I just got to the point (where) I knew that I could do a better job if I transitioned.”
Landon Wilson.
What next?
Landon’s home-base leader advised him to tell his Army leadership that he had enlisted as female and was now presenting male.
Landon wondered whether he should follow the advice and explain the situation to his Army leaders in Afghanistan and risk being sent home, or worse, punished and discharged? Or, should he keep quiet, keep doing his job, and hope for the best?
On the reasons for writing the case…
Terry said: “The political climate in 2016 is reminiscent of the climate today. Culture wars and hate towards LGBTQ people is rampant everywhere. My thesis presented an opportunity to reach various leaders and conduct a thought experiment that very few leaders get to encounter. In 2016, the only academic cases on this subject I could find were outdated and quite frankly gave terrible advice that aged poorly. Today, transgender influencers are a dime a dozen, but very few people have had the chance to handle a very real situation like this one.
“This case offers people the ability to contemplate hard decisions and think it through in a safe space. We needed the case written so future Landons don’t lose out on opportunities due to fear mongering and lack of understanding. Leaders need to understand their options and be able to negotiate readiness and member safety. The Department of Defense isn’t the only industry with labour challenges. Any industry having to lead Gen Z and Gen A will encounter challenges like this. We hope this case can open discussions and minds and ultimately benefit leaders and their workforce.”
On the case writing challenges…
Kathryn commented: “Terry had previous experience working on Navy policies related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, including LGBTQ challenges, before he joined the Naval Postgraduate School as a student. He came to my office and asked if I would advise on his thesis. I was nervous because I was not informed on the experiences and challenges facing transgender people - my adolescent children had made me very aware of this. I was concerned that I would use the wrong words and ask the wrong questions. Gail and I met with Terry in my office and told him we would be honoured to advise on his thesis, but that he would need to educate us and correct us when we mis-stepped. We did and he did.
“One key challenge when writing the case, was that we wanted to be sensitive to the protagonist and his experience, while acknowledging the constraints facing his Navy leaders at the time. While most cases are personal, the focal event and the topic of this case made it especially so. I am a cisgender, female civilian. I don’t have first-hand personal or professional experience closely related to the case and I wanted to be sure we conveyed Landon’s experiences appropriately.
“We could not interview the Navy leaders involved to gain their perspectives. Given the organisational and political environment at the time, they would not have been able to share their views, even if we could have located them. However, we wanted to convey the dilemma facing Landon’s leaders. To understand the constraints they faced, we spoke with Navy leaders who had been in similar situations. We presented Landon’s recollections of his leaders’ reactions and triangulated Landon’s recollections with the views of Navy leaders who were able to speak with us.”
On teaching the case and how students react to the case…
Kathryn continued: “We have taught the course with graduate students, including military and civilian audiences, and students seem to appreciate the opportunity to discuss the topic.”
On case writing tips…
She added: “A good case needs a good story. I think quotes that convey the personality and experience of the protagonist, not just what happened, are important to a good story. One of the most difficult parts of writing a case is figuring out how to share the story in a way that is engaging and conveys the needed data and information, but doesn’t ‘give away’ the answers.
“I find it helps to think of the story initially as a first-hand story, and to ask protagonists to relate what happened and how they felt about key events and decisions, including what surprised or concerned them. Then, once I have the story, to then, think of it as data. That is, I separate the story from the protagonist to think about how I can use the story to illustrate the key learning objective I have in mind. The point becomes the learning objective and not the story.
“Then, once I feel that I have a progression that supports the learning objective, I go back to the story. I add in the most colourful or evocative quotes to make the story of the case engaging.”
Final word…
Kathryn concluded: “I enjoy case writing because it is an opportunity to tell a story in a more creative and narrative style than one can do in a research report. I am grateful to those who share their experiences so that academics and students can learn from them.”
The case
Who – the protagonist
Landon Wilson, a U.S. Navy sailor.
What?
Landon was a Navy sailor who volunteered and was accepted for a critical assignment with the Army in Afghanistan, where he led a fast paced, secretive team consisting of civilians from the National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation, one U.S. Army staff sergeant, and military representatives from the United Kingdom and Australia.
The team operated around the clock to produce classified intelligence for U.S. Special Operations forces.
Why?
What Landon’s team and supervisors did not know, however, was that he was transitioning from female to male, which could result in a discharge from the Navy.
Landon’s records in the Navy stated ‘female'; however, when he began training with the Army before leaving for Afghanistan, he stated on his records that he was male. Army personnel databases didn’t communicate with Navy personnel databases, so Landon wasn’t worried.
However, Landon’s Navy mentor was concerned. Landon’s mentor was afraid that Landon would not be safe when Army leadership saw ‘female’ in his records. Landon’s mentor didn’t know the systems were separate, so he told their home-base leader what was happening.
When?
It was in late November 2014 when Landon’s home-base leader called him to say he knew he was transitioning.
When Landon joined the Navy in September 2011, transgender people were not allowed to enlist, so he was aware he was taking a risk.
Despite the policy, however, in November 2012, Landon began gender transition. By early November 2013 in Afghanistan, Landon presented male, adopting behaviour, mannerisms, and appearance usually associated with men. His teammates and Army leaders accepted him as male.
Where?
Landon pursued the Army position in Afghanistan because he wanted to serve in a more dynamic role.
Key quote
“I thought, how much more energy could I have to focus on mission, on the Navy? I just got to the point (where) I knew that I could do a better job if I transitioned.”
Landon Wilson.
What next?
Landon’s home-base leader advised him to tell his Army leadership that he had enlisted as female and was now presenting male.
Landon wondered whether he should follow the advice and explain the situation to his Army leaders in Afghanistan and risk being sent home, or worse, punished and discharged? Or, should he keep quiet, keep doing his job, and hope for the best?
Author perspective
On the reasons for writing the case…
Terry said: “The political climate in 2016 is reminiscent of the climate today. Culture wars and hate towards LGBTQ people is rampant everywhere. My thesis presented an opportunity to reach various leaders and conduct a thought experiment that very few leaders get to encounter. In 2016, the only academic cases on this subject I could find were outdated and quite frankly gave terrible advice that aged poorly. Today, transgender influencers are a dime a dozen, but very few people have had the chance to handle a very real situation like this one.
“This case offers people the ability to contemplate hard decisions and think it through in a safe space. We needed the case written so future Landons don’t lose out on opportunities due to fear mongering and lack of understanding. Leaders need to understand their options and be able to negotiate readiness and member safety. The Department of Defense isn’t the only industry with labour challenges. Any industry having to lead Gen Z and Gen A will encounter challenges like this. We hope this case can open discussions and minds and ultimately benefit leaders and their workforce.”
On the case writing challenges…
Kathryn commented: “Terry had previous experience working on Navy policies related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, including LGBTQ challenges, before he joined the Naval Postgraduate School as a student. He came to my office and asked if I would advise on his thesis. I was nervous because I was not informed on the experiences and challenges facing transgender people - my adolescent children had made me very aware of this. I was concerned that I would use the wrong words and ask the wrong questions. Gail and I met with Terry in my office and told him we would be honoured to advise on his thesis, but that he would need to educate us and correct us when we mis-stepped. We did and he did.
“One key challenge when writing the case, was that we wanted to be sensitive to the protagonist and his experience, while acknowledging the constraints facing his Navy leaders at the time. While most cases are personal, the focal event and the topic of this case made it especially so. I am a cisgender, female civilian. I don’t have first-hand personal or professional experience closely related to the case and I wanted to be sure we conveyed Landon’s experiences appropriately.
“We could not interview the Navy leaders involved to gain their perspectives. Given the organisational and political environment at the time, they would not have been able to share their views, even if we could have located them. However, we wanted to convey the dilemma facing Landon’s leaders. To understand the constraints they faced, we spoke with Navy leaders who had been in similar situations. We presented Landon’s recollections of his leaders’ reactions and triangulated Landon’s recollections with the views of Navy leaders who were able to speak with us.”
On teaching the case and how students react to the case…
Kathryn continued: “We have taught the course with graduate students, including military and civilian audiences, and students seem to appreciate the opportunity to discuss the topic.”
On case writing tips…
She added: “A good case needs a good story. I think quotes that convey the personality and experience of the protagonist, not just what happened, are important to a good story. One of the most difficult parts of writing a case is figuring out how to share the story in a way that is engaging and conveys the needed data and information, but doesn’t ‘give away’ the answers.
“I find it helps to think of the story initially as a first-hand story, and to ask protagonists to relate what happened and how they felt about key events and decisions, including what surprised or concerned them. Then, once I have the story, to then, think of it as data. That is, I separate the story from the protagonist to think about how I can use the story to illustrate the key learning objective I have in mind. The point becomes the learning objective and not the story.
“Then, once I feel that I have a progression that supports the learning objective, I go back to the story. I add in the most colourful or evocative quotes to make the story of the case engaging.”
Final word…
Kathryn concluded: “I enjoy case writing because it is an opportunity to tell a story in a more creative and narrative style than one can do in a research report. I am grateful to those who share their experiences so that academics and students can learn from them.”
