Critical Thinking Lesson 2

[Diana Rhoads]

I really liked the last statement in the “A Manifesto” piece. Outlawing the idea of “I can’t”, but also want to add “I won’t”. By blocking the road to inquiry, we are not compelled to change our beliefs. We cannot be lazy, it takes effort, patience and willingness to consider different points of view. Unless we build our confidence, knowledge and understanding to asking the right questions, we will not be able to encourage deeper thought.
We need to work as a team in order to root out prejudices. We all come from particular traditions and cultures that can affect the way we think and evaluate things. We need to be able to root out biases and influences so that thoughts are not one-sided or not completely thought out. We need to walk away from stubbornness when evidence and facts emerge.
Every article leads to the fact that critical thinking must become a lifestyle –habit that we must adopt if we are to break through obstacles.
All of us are very busy, making quick decisions, not asking questions or looking at the bigger picture will hamper our critical thinking. Organizing and determining the urgency/timetable provides us with better outcomes once we have provided ourselves with time to think things through rationally.
Never assume anything. Just because it is placed before you doesn’t mean it is the only information or the only answer.
“Metacognition”-thinking about your own thinking!!! This was a new term for me to understand and I totally agree that it is an essential tool for supervisors/managers to embrace. One cannot lead the charge if you are not able to look at yourself first.


I have learned to speak up for myself by letting whomever is asking for a project to be completed to give ample time for completion. Too often we are asked to complete projects last minute or with very short timelines. I had a supervisor who was notorious for asking us to complete projects/tasks last minute and then if he didn’t like it, we were in hot water. One particular project was a complete overhaul in rewriting job descriptions. Our supervisor put us in a room for hours on end, creating and recreating job descriptions. After months of work, he went to HR and said this is what he wanted. HR looked at the job descriptions and told him that they were not clearly defined under the regulatory part of HR. A lot of manpower was spent on a project that was clearly the vision of one person. I do not think 1 hour of critical thinking went into it. It ended up that a consultant was hired to complete the task with us. This new undertaking was well thought out, everyone in the room was allowed to throughout ideas and input. Much critical thinking took place. It did take almost 6 months for completion, but a well thought out and useful tool was developed.

[Margaret Cleveland]

Diana--the scenario you describe is all too familiar! I can think of many times, also, when I've been in a situation--either of my own making or a supoervisor's--where I either think I have to solve the problem myself or should be able to...and then rush to a conclusion that isn't well thought out.

I think your point about biases is really good--sometimes it takes someone else to offer feedback or input that helps jog us out of our own thinking--our own "truths" about a situation. I would like to think that as managers, we can create teams that are not afraid to speak up, reflect back to us our own biases (in a constructive way) and truly create an opportunity for "generative dialogue" where egos are suspended and thinking is honored.

So here's my question: how do we honor and carve out that time for "white space" to think things through? How do we give ourselves "permission" to have "think" time--and how do we incorporate that into a culture that thrives on getting things done quickly?

[mlawes]

This is something that I wrestle with daily. In the fast paced environment that I work in I have to constantly respond and react to situations without much time to think and analyze. I sometimes feel like I'm expected to give an answer right now without having the time to stop and just meditate and let the information sink in.

[Rudy R. Racine]

Diana, I loved the last statement also! It reminds me of a quote that I would often share with my staff: "I can't isn't a reason to give up, it's a reason to try harder". I am a firm believer in focusing on what needs to be done to accomplish the objectives of a team. Whenever I have to roll out a new initiative, or I'm trying to get my team's buy in, I often ask them to spend more time thinking of what needs to be done to ensure success instead of trying to list reasons why something won't work. I think framing is very important in these situations; it's difficult to rally a team around an idea when there is negative group think. On the flip-side, I think focusing the group's attention on figuring out how to accomplish a set objective tends to promote critical thinking among the team.

Michael, I can absolutely relate to the pressure we sometimes get from our teams to make decisions on the spot. Sometimes the best decision is the decision to take your time with the decision making process.