Importance of Critical

Thinking
Debate and discuss critical thinking and
how its application will be useful for a
manager. Give reasons and real industry
example to explain.
RAVI KUMAR

Definition of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is that mode of thinking-about any subject, content or problem in which
the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the
structure inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them. 1

Meaning of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is that skill that is very important now days. It helps us to thinking from
all types of aspects of any problem. Critical thinking helps us to understand the
advantages and disadvantages of every possible result and to understand them
according which will help us in achieving our goal. Thinking is such an activity which
everyone does in our daily. By practicing critical thinking it will help the people to
approach to better conclusion and better decisions. Critical thinking helps us in decision
making where people take decisions to solve a specific problem or issue. Critical
thinking can also benefit employment as the capability of evaluating between a good
and bad decision is critical, often crucial in workplace. Critical thinking helps us to draw
rational conclusion with full knowledge of its cost. It helps in avoiding the inference of
personal bias or conflict between people in a group.
Critical thinking helps us to reach an outcome with a good level of confidence. Critical
thinking is appropriate whenever people are to investigate to solve a problem. A good
critical thinker should always be skillful, self-correcting, and responsible, depends on
sound criterion for making decisions, and develop an appearance that is responsive to
situation. Critical thinking has three steps that are:-1). Recognizing the problem. 2).
Evaluating the problem from all the angles and the last 3). Drawing conclusion of the
problem. Critical thinking helps us develop rational kindness, independence, truth,
bravery, firmness, self-belief in reason, understanding, and fair-mindedness.
To become cultivated critical thinkers by raising crucial questions and formulate
questions evidently and accurately, gathering information about the problem and then
assess it and determine what the information means and is it worth about the problem,
represent conclusion from the details showed and judging potential resolution and trying
them with applicable criterion. To become a critical thinker we should think outside the
box, share ideas, become motivating in finding new solutions. Develop the critical
thinking by exercising it in day to day life.

1 Paul qtd. In Critical Thinking An Introduction: 4

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Importance of critical thinking to managers

Critical thinking is very important skill to a manager without critical thinking a manager
cannot be called a good managers because a good mangers always practice critical
thinking in daily life in workplace and at home for example in case of manager without
skill of critical thinking if the manager is told to take an important decision instantly then
the manager without critical thinking will not study the problem from all the aspects of
the problem and will take decision without thinking about advantages and disadvantage
of the decision the manager is taking but in the case of good manager with the skill of
critical thinking first the manager will study the problem all the aspects and will collect
the information about the problem then the manager will combine all the information and
then the manager will evaluate the problem and finally we get the result.

So the a decision by manager without the skill of critical thinking can bring a company
down and a decision taken by a good manager with the skill of critical thinking can bring
huge amount of profit to the company. So it depends on the manager if manager has
the skill of critical thinking. Take an example like a manager of the company is trying to
create efficient flow of work within the office. The manager has to carefully read the
problem that are causing hurdles in the efficient flow of work and then evaluate the
entire problem in order to superiorly understand the problem. With the help of
observation the manager is able to look into the current flow of work and how it is
helping in productivity of the work. Good manager who has critical thinking skills will
make a note of any situation that could be highly resourceful and troubles that pace
down the productivity.

Take an example a manager is tasked to startup a new service line for company of
printer, fax machine, and copying machine. The manager who uses critical thinking will
study from all the angles of the new service before installing the service. Its not just the
manager is given to install and the service is installed without looking at the pros and
cons of the service being put up. It is about thinking out of the box and in a broader way.

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Real Industry of Critical Thinking

A real situation where Critical thinking possibly will have saved lots of money of the
company was in highlight. The British Petroleum which is the fourth largest energy
company in the world. It operates in oil and gas industry with the process of refining,
exploration and marketing etc. British Petroleum has been caught up in many foremost
ecological and wellbeing accidents. One of them is there oil platform waft open release
millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It was 9 years old oil drilling unit.
Affecting the sea life, the human being and many environmental factors. The reasons of
the leak was that while constructing the oil platforms the manager and engineers said if
any things happens it will happen in 20 years. The manager did not know what will
happen at that point of time when it will leak.
The leak caused 11 deaths and highly affected the sea life. If the manager could have
used the skills of critical thinking then if the platform blows also then the manager could
have taken the decision of how to save the environmental factors. When the
construction was on process the manager should have studied the pros and cons of the
platforms and the problems from all the angles. But BP didnt have any programmed
technique of resolving a foremost leak; the company had to make a declaration while
under the forceful inquiry of the American government. In the critical thinking period
managers should have strong-minded that there was a probable for a leak and shaped
many likely solution should a leak take place. But the company had to form a plan
speedily lacking the chance to look into possible troubles that each one way out may
perhaps origin. One of their plans incorporates to bring into play of dispersants on a
great scale in front of time.
But due lack of skills they didnt know the shock on sea life, BP possibly will find
themselves with a large fiscal responsibility to the citizens of the United States if the
dispersants does more reimbursement than the oil would have. Critical thinking in the
development stage would have originated prospective crisis area and could have
allowable for improved protection safety measures. Extra flaw in the critical thinking for
the business happened while examination conclusions were disregarded. All the way
through the series of procedures that eventually led to the oil disaster BP had
opportunity to make use of Critical Thinking to stop the crisis in the primary position and
unsuccessful to do so. It was this malfunction to utilize Critical Thinking that eventually
permissible the cataclysm to happen in the primary situate.
Word Count: - 1396

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Conclusion
As we saw the example of critical thinking where it might have saved lots of money of
British Petroleum if the managers could have used the critical thinking. It can make a
variation among the largely achievement of not just manager but also the management
itself. Critical thinking is a procedure which leaves to logical conclusion, through set
skills. By captivating the time to make use of critical thinking in progress a business is
capable to put together superior decision and should understanding superior outcome
as domino effect. Critical and creative thinking, even though dissimilar, be able to work
mutually when troubles identify for pioneering solutions.
Critical thinking is important for smaller businesses where each decisions can break a
company and can also make a company better. Critical thinking cannot be taught to
anyone in a day or month. It is the skill which has to be learned by the managers. A
manager can learn critical thinking through daily practice of the critical thinking in every
situation the manager faces.

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References
http://voices.yahoo.com/<wbr></wbr>understanding-importance<wbr></wbr>critical-thinking-7062388.html
http://www.<wbr></wbr>agilecriticalthinking.com/<wbr></wbr>Portals/0/W
hitePapers/The%<wbr></wbr>20Business%20Case%20for
%<wbr></wbr>20Critical%20Thinking%20for%<wbr></wbr>20Web
%20v2.pdf
http://www.busandman.com/?p=18
http://otal.umd.edu/~vg/msf98/<wbr></wbr>homework/critthink.htm

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