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Critical Thinking & Decision Making - Coggle Diagram
Critical Thinking & Decision Making
What is a Problem?
Situation that concerns someone
Situation that makes it difficult to achieve a desired goal, objective or purpose
Problems can be Presented or Constructed
Maintenance Situation (Presented Problem)
Key Result Expected (KRE)
Issues that already exists in the situation
Issues that you have to accept
Current situation is not as it should be
When there is a deviation from existing work procedures or policies
Something failing to happen as expected or something happening that should not have happened
Achievement Situation (Constructed Problem)
Critical Business Indicator (CBI)
Something that you are coping with
Issues that you are going to work on
The current situation could be better
Where an opportunity exists e.g. creating a new product or service
Where the current objective could be exceeded e.g. Improving responses to sales promotion
If there's no problem, you are either:
Someone who do not notice problems
Someone who cannot foresee & predict problems
Someone who is contented with things as they are, and are always dependent on others
Reasons for Ineffective Problem-Solving & Solutions
Not methodical
Lack of commitment when solving problems
Thinking & worrying about hard work & stress
Misinterpret the problem due to insufficient or inaccurate information
Lack of knowledge in problem-solving process
Using a method inappropriate for solving problem
Low level of analytical & creative thinking
Failure to monitor implementation
Specific Problems Common in Workplace
Communication Problem
Attitude Problem
Interpersonal challenges between supervisor & subordinates or among team
Ethical Problem
Poor Performance
Discrimination & Harrassment
Why Critical Thinking Important?
To solve problems, you must develop:
Fluency - Ease of producing ideas
Flexibility - Ease of modifying & adapting ideas
Originality - The freshness or novelty of ideas
Elaboration - Expanding & detailing ideas
Problem-Solving Skills
Systematic approach to defining a situation that presents uncertainty or difficulty & creating a vast number of possible solutions without judging these solutions
Critical Problem-Solving Process
Explore the Challenge
Objective Finding (OF)
Identify goal or challenge
Refer to Maintenance & Achievement
Problem Finding (PF)
Clarify Problem - Making sure that we are focusing on the right problem, by redefining what we want or what's stopping us.
5W 1H
5 Whys
Fact-Finding (FF)
Gather Data - Make a list of facts & information, feelings, perceptions, assumptions & gossips around the situation like:
Who's involved
What's involved
When, where & why it's important
5 Whys
5W 1H
Underline the class of information needed. Financial, technical, policy, business, process
Underline the specific information needed. Actions, dates. times & amount (Impact)
Why is the information required. To eliminate possibilities, to confirm doubts or to identify resources
Where/who are the sources of this information
How accurate or reliable are the sources. Should it be in form of opinions or statistical analysis.
How can this information be obtained e.g., memo, reports, meeting, informal discussion, observation, listening and testing
Generate Ideas
Idea Finding (IF)
Deferring judgement & coming up with a wild, outrageous, out-of-the-box ideas
Stretch to make connections, take risks & try new combinations to find potentially innovative solutions
Prepare for Action
Solution Finding (SF)
First - Strengthen & improve the best ideas generated
Second - Generate the criteria that needs to be considered to achieve results
Third - Idea must be actionable before it becomes the solution
Acceptance Finding (AF)
Look at who's responsible, what has to be done by then and what resources are available in order for the idea to be a full-fledged and activated solution
Traits of a Successful Problem Solver
Analytical Thinking - Break down complex problems into smaller, manageable parts & analyse them logically
Creativity - Successful problem solvers think outside the box and generate innovative solutions that may not be immediately obvious
Persistence
Open-Mindedness
Adaptability
Collaboration
Effective Communication
Critical Thinking
Curiosity
Decisiveness
Decision-Making Skills
The act of narrowing down the possibilities .
Choosing a course of action & determining the action's potential consequences & benefits
Best Alternative To Negotiated Arrangement (BATNA)
Zone of Possible Arrangement (ZOPA)