Critical thinking

Critical Thinking Before going to discuss the importance of critical thinking in decision-making processes, let us get a better understanding of what critical thinking actually is. Upson (2011) states, “ Critical thinking is the ability to apply reasoning and logic to unfamiliar ideas, opinions, and situations”. Critical thinking is an open-minded way of looking towards things in order to take a suitable decision regarding any specific issue. Some of the main skills of a critical thinker include open-mindedness, rationality, honesty, and discipline. Critical thinking is the ability of a person to apply different ideas and perceptions to analyze and evaluate the tangible and intangible world. The ability to look at the issues open-mindedly is very essential in critical thinking because it makes a person aware of all aspects of the issue. Along with open-mindedness, a person also needs to think rationally in order to achieve the real essence of critical thinking. Rational thinking relies on hard proven facts instead of emotions. A person needs to rely on facts in order to take a suitable decision regarding any specific issue. Importance of Critical Thinking Critical thinking plays a considerable role in decision-making processes. It makes a person aware of all aspects of the issue, which helps the person take the most appropriate decision based on the evaluation of all aspects. Decision-making is the process of selecting the best course of action from the pool of alternatives. A person needs to look at all possible consequences of all alternatives before selecting the most suitable choice. Critical thinking is not based on personal opinion, rather it is based on knowledge and reasoning. “ A person who tries to practice critical thinking, however, also tries to avoid assuming that they already know everything they need to know” (Cline, n. d.). Critical thinking is a very important part of the decision-making processes. It makes a person move towards resolution of any specific issue fairly. The process of critical thinking is unbiased in nature and provides a good help to decision-makers in taking unbiased decisions. Critical thinking means to let the past assumptions go and embrace new ideas based on proper evaluation and reasoning. “ Critical thinking can help people to excel in their professional lives, allowing for clearer, more concise thought processes” (Upson, 2011). A person can never take a correct decision without exploring the subject matter properly. Critical thinking allows a person to go deep into the issue and analyze all visible and hidden aspects of the issue before taking a decision. Critical thinking is based on reasons, skepticism, and rationality. All of these elements provide a strong base to a person that is required in taking correct decisions. Decision-making process is an unbiased process, which depends on facts and reasons instead of emotions. A person may include the element of emotions in his/her decision-making process but if there is no logic behind the emotions, then the use of emotions can lead the person towards an unfair decision. Therefore, a good way is to keep away from the use of emotions while taking a decision on any specific issue. The role of critical thinking in decision-making processes is not just limited to the evaluation of decisions. It is also used for the selection of the final choice based on the evaluation of alternatives. First, decision-makers use critical thinking approach to analyze all aspects of different alternatives rationally, logically, and open-mindedly. Then, they again use the same approach to select the final choice based on proper reasoning and justice. Example of Critical Thinking In this section, I will give an example from my personal experience where I applied critical thinking to a work-related decision. I was working as assistant manager in an event management firm. A conflict arose when one of our senior employees, Mark Austin, refused to supervise the Pork it UP campaign on religious grounds. The employee was a vegetarian and he had to taste meat in front of the public to launch the campaign. The HR manager and I came up with four options to resolve the issue. Those options included terminating Austin’s services on the grounds of disobedience, assigning Austin to a low-profile campaign and promoting one of Austin’s subordinates to lead this campaign, switching place of Austin with some other supervisor for this specific event, and working with a new employee for this event. My HR manager and I analyzed all options and selected the third option because that option was the most suitable one to resolve the issue as in that option, religious beliefs of Austin were given preference over any other thing. Therefore, management should always take such decisions based on critical thinking approach in order to avoid violating the anti-discrimination laws mentioned in the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. References Cline, A. (n. d.). What is Critical Thinking?. Retrieved from http://atheism. about. com/od/criticalthinking/a/criticalthink. htm Upson, M. (2011). What is Critical Thinking?. Retrieved from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-critical-thinking. htm