SESSION 1

CRITICAL THINKING AND

COMMUNICATION FOR MANAGERS

(TERM 1)
By: Dr. Rinki Dahiya
Assistant Professor
Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur
CONTENTS

• Introduction to Critical Thinking

• Conceptual understanding of critical thinking
• Value of critical thinking approach in context of organizations
• Strategies and barriers for critical thinking
 1 3
What do we mean What are the benefits of
by ‘critical good critical thinking
thinking’? 2 abilities for your academic
study and career?
What are the benefits
of good critical
thinking skills in
everyday life?

Critical Thinking Skills, (Cottrell, 2017) Chapter 1

Meaning of Critical Thinking:

Critical thinking means making reasoned judgments that are logical and

well-thought out.

It is a way of thinking in which you don't simply accept all arguments and
conclusions you are exposed to but rather have an attitude involving
questioning such arguments and conclusions.

A way of thinking based on evidence and reasoning - by Stella Cottrell

4
 “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully
conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information
gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or
communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully

conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information
gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or
communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

“Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully

conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information
gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or
communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

5
Critical Thinking Application

. . .
. . .
. . .
How can the definition of critical thinking help you solve this problem? Connect the 9 dots using
4 straight lines. Once you start drawing the lines, do not stop until all 9 dots have been
connected. HINT: Lines may be vertical, horizontal and/or diagonal.
Solution:

. . .
. . .
. . .
Scepticism, trust and critical thinking:

Ennis (1987) identified a range of dispositions and abilities associated with critical thinking.
These focused on:
• the ability to reflect sceptically;
• the ability to think in a reasoned way.

Scepticism in critical thinking means bringing an element of polite doubt.

Critical thinking gives you the tools to use scepticism and doubt constructively so that you
can analyse what is before you. This requires trust. If we can analyse clearly the basis of
what we take as true, we are more able to discern when it is reasonable to be trusting and
where it is useful to be sceptical.

8
Method rather than personality trait- Critical Thinking

• Some people seem to be more naturally sceptical whilst others find it easier to
be trusting.

• These differences may be because of past experiences or personality traits.

However, critical thinking is not about natural traits or personality; it is about a
certain set of methods aimed at exploring evidence in a particular way.

• Sceptical people can require structured approaches that help them to trust in the
probability of an outcome, just as those who are more trusting require methods
to help them use doubt constructively.

9
10
What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is:

• manual thinking (not automatic);
• purposeful;
• being aware of the partiality of your thinking;
• a process; and
• thinking that uses a framework and a tool set.

11
What is Critical Thinking?

Try reading this text:

You mghit tnihk i’ts aaminzg taht you can raed tihs with vrlialuty no diluftficuy even
tuohg the ltetres are mxeid up. It trnus out that all you need are the fsrit and lsat leetrts
in the crocert pcale.

Tihs is an eaxplme of yuor barin rnuning in aoumtatic mdoe.

Your brain is a very powerful pattern recognition machine.

We recognize many things, such as places, people, noises, and
smells.

How can you read that? As you start reading the paragraph, your brain automatically
starts to unscramble the words—until you get any word that is
spelled wrong.

Or if it is missing a letter and doesn’t follow the rule. Your

brain recognizes this. This is called context recognition and
refers to what belongs here—what fits based on the sentence’s
meaning.
12
Try this next activity:
Count the number of Fs in the following paragraph, in 15 seconds or less.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI
FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI
FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.
How many Fs did you
count?
Three? Four? Five?
There are six Fs in that paragraph, and if you
didn’t see them all, you missed one or more
instances of OF. See in the bold.
The Fs test is an example of how your brain
discards information when it’s operating in
automatic mode. Our minds discard things
such as this all the time.
13
Try one more activity:

What predominant shape do you see

in the diagram that follows? • The square, right? Of course—but
it’s not really there. Those three-
quarter circles define the boundary.

• This is an example of how you make

stuff up when you operate in
automatic mode; that is, you infer
things that are not always true.

• Your brain’s automatic mode is

extremely helpful in guiding your
thinking.

• However, unbeknownst to you, it

also discards, distorts, and creates
information.
14
15
Definitions of Critical Thinking:

Author Definition
Joanne “Critical thinking is an investigation whose purpose is to explore
Kurfiss a situation, phenomenon, question, or problem to arrive at a
hypothesis or conclusion about it that integrates all available
information and that therefore can be convincingly justified”.
Peter Facione Critical thinking as “a kind of purposeful, reflective judgment
that results in a reasoned and fair consideration of evidence,
conceptualizations, methods, and standards that ultimately frame
beliefs and actions”.
Daniel Critical thinking as, “seeing both sides of an issue, being open to
Willingham new evidence that disconfirms young ideas, reasoning
dispassionately, demanding that claims be backed by evidence,
deducing and inferring conclusions from available facts,
[and]solving problems.”

16
Why Critical Thinking is important today?

1. Information intensive society and economy

2. Accelerating pace of change

3. Employability

• 72% of employers say critical thinking is key to their organization’s success

• But they consider only half of their employees are good critical thinkers

• 93% of employers say a candidate’s competencies with workplace skills such as

critical thinking are more important then their undergraduate and post graduate
major.

• 75% of employers want education institutions to place a higher emphasis on these

students’ skills:
o Critical thinking
o Complex problem solving
o Written and oral communications
o Applying knowledge in real world situations
Sources: American Management Study, 2012 and AACU Survey, 2013 17
18
Why Do Employers Value Critical Thinking Skills?

• Employers want job candidates who can evaluate a situation using 

logical thought and offer the best solution.

• Someone with critical thinking skills can be trusted to make decisions

independently, and will not need constant handholding.

• Critical thinking abilities are among the most sought-after skills in almost

every industry and workplace.

• You can demonstrate critical thinking by using related keywords in your 

resume and cover letter, and during your interview.

19
Examples of Critical Thinking:

The circumstances that demand critical thinking vary from industry to

industry.

Some examples include:

• A doctor analyzes the cases at hand and decides the order by which the
patients should be treated.

• A plumber evaluates the materials that would best suit a particular job.

• An attorney reviews evidence and devises a strategy to win a case or to

decide whether to settle out of court.

• A manager analyzes customer feedback forms and uses this information

to develop a customer service training session for employees.

20
Value of Critical Thinking in Business World:

Critical thinking is important because it ensures the best answer to a problem, with
maximum buy-in from all parties involved – an outcome which will ultimately
save business time, money and stress.

Modelling critical thinking at the top will help the skill trickle down to the rest of
the organization, no matter what kind or size of company you have.
By Jen Lawrence

Idea Assessment
Support Improve
generation of various
smooth Team work Leadership communication
and business
operations strategies
innovation situations

21
When to use Critical Thinking in business?

The following are three lists of examples of where and when you might
use critical thinking.

1. High-level business functions;

2. Specific business issues or goals; and
3. day-to-day activities

Once you learn the critical thinking tools, you’ll add to this list with
areas specific to your job.

22
List 1: Business Functions That Benefit from Critical Thinking:
• Account management
• Automation
• Budgeting
• Build versus buy decisions
• Competitive analysis
• Contracts
• Cost-reduction initiatives
• Crisis management
• Customer care improvement
• Customer retention strategies
• Development processes
• Diagnosis
• Employee leadership development
• Employee productivity
• Financial decisions
• Human resources issues
• Information systems
• Inventory control
• Investment management
• Mergers and acquisitions
• New product ideas and creation
• Operational efficiency
• Outsource versus in-source decisions
• Partnership-related issues
• Product management
• Product marketing
• Revenue generation strategies
• Risk management
• Sales and marketing tactics
• Short- and long-term business
strategies
• Space planning
• Succession planning
• Task coordination
• Technology infrastructure
• Time, cost, and resource planning
And so on……..
23
List 2: Examples of Specific Business Issues and Goals for Which
Critical Thinking Should Be Used:

To understand a situation To improve something:

that is unclear: When looking toward the
• To decrease the cost of
• Customer care call future, consider:
customer care by 25 percent • How can we create a
volume has significantly yet increase customer
changed for no apparent new product that will
satisfaction. compete with the new
reason. • To improve
• A series of service our primary
communications between competitor just
manufacturing errors has your department and
occurred without an introduced?
another. • Should we build or buy
explanation. • To determine how to change
• Prospective customers our way to expand our
the marketing strategy to be service offerings?
seem interested in your more competitive.
product, yet few actually • How do we finance an
• To grow your business.
buy it. expansion strategy?
• To decrease costs by 25 • Given our budget, how
• The cost of operations is percent.
increasing, but the do we accomplish our
• To find and hire more
volumes being processed objectives?
qualified candidates. • How do I progress my
are not. • To determine what to do
• A change in the norm has career?
with ever-increasing health
occurred with no obvious care costs.
explanation. 24
List 3: Examples of Specific Day-to-Day Activities for Which Critical
Thinking Can Be Helpful:
• Assembling or fixing something
• Attending meetings
• Assessing risk
• Coaching
• Conducting brainstorming sessions
• Creating presentations
• Engaging in financial planning activities
• Engaging in one-on-one conversations
• Evaluating proposals
• Making go or no-go decisions
• Organizing
• Planning your schedule/calendar
• Preparing speeches
• Prioritizing
• Reviewing contracts
• Setting goals
• Setting metrics
• Writing and conducting performance evaluations

And so on…..
25
What are everyday benefits of refining your critical thinking
abilities?

You may find you are:

• absorbing more when watching videos or reading

• better at telling when others are inconsistent, jumping to conclusions or telling
half-truths
• quicker at spotting alternative interpretations to issues, stories and case
histories
• faster and clearer in forming an informed opinion
• more adept at evaluating solutions to problems
• more skilled in making good decisions

Critical Thinking Skills, (Cottrell, 2017) page 4

26
Applications of Critical Thinking:

27
When to use Critical Thinking??? (cntd):

• Critical thinking can be applied everywhere in your business and

life but be selective.

• Use critical thinking when the outcome might make a difference.

Critical Thinking Framework

28
Critical Thinking Framework:

• Clarity allows us to define what the issue, problem, or goal

really is.

• Get clear on the issue, problem, or goal; generally called as

Clarity “head scratcher”.

For example:

Instead of a broad general statement, such as “We need to

improve our quality,” a clearer statement might be “We need to
reduce our defect rate to less than 10 units per 1,000.”

29
Critical Thinking Framework (cntd.):

• After you are clear on what issue you must address, you
have to figure out what to do about it.

• Conclusions are solutions and a list of actions (to-dos)

related to your issue.
Conclusions
• Take clear head scratcher through the process of coming to
a solution about what to do.

For example, “To reduce our defect rate, we will add a

product test cycle prior to shipping.”
30
Critical Thinking Framework (cntd.):

• Once you come to a conclusion about what actions to take,

you have to actually decide to take the action—and do it.

• Take each one of your conclusions and decide to do it or

Decisions not do it; to act, or to not act; to go or not to go.

For example, “The vice president has approved implementing

the product test cycle before shipping, so we will start
tomorrow morning.”
31
Automatic versus Critical Thinking:

There are four reasons why we tend not to The Critical Thinking Framework
spend much time on clarity:

• We’re not taught to think too much.

• You aren’t paid to think
• You get personal satisfaction from doing, not
thinking.
• You don’t discover many things you don’t
know
32
Why to develop critical thinking skills:

Improved attention, observation and focused

1
reading

Improved ability to identify the key points and

2 becoming less distracted by unimportant (or less
important) points.

Improved ability to respond to the appropriate

3
points in a message.

4 Benefits in professional and everyday life

5 Realistic self appraisal

33
Become a Critic of
Your Own Thinking:

34
 Become a Critic of Your Own Thinking (cntd.):

You do this not to negate or “dump on” yourself, but to improve yourself, to begin
to practice the art of skilled thinking and lifelong learning.

To do this you must “discover” your thinking, see its structure, observe its
implications, and recognize its basis and vantage point.

You must come to recognize that, through commitment and daily practice, you can
make foundational changes in your thinking.

You need to learn about your “bad” habits of thought and about what you are
striving for (habits of thought that routinely improve your thinking).

35
Discussion point

Why is critical self-awareness an essential component of good

critical thinking?

Critical Thinking Skills, (Cottrell, 2017) pages 4-6

Why Self awareness is required for Critical Thinking?

• Our thinking might not be accurate if we are not fully aware of the
influences that affect it.

• These can include such things as our own assumptions, preconceptions,

bias, dislikes, beliefs, things we take for granted as normal and
acceptable, and all those things about our selves and our world that we
have never questioned.

• People who are outstanding at critical thinking tend to be particularly self-

aware. They reflect upon and evaluate their personal motivations,
interests, prejudices, expertise and gaps in their knowledge.

• They question their own point of view and check the evidence used to
support it.

37
Reflection and discussion point

❑ What kinds of things can influence our thinking without our being fully
aware of them?

❑ What can we do about this?

Critical Thinking Skills, (Cottrell, 2017) page 6

Self awareness for accurate judgement:

Reflection: influences on my
thinking
For me, the influences on my own
thinking that I need to be most aware
of so they don’t prejudice my thinking
are:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

I will deal with this by:

______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

39
Self awareness for accurate judgement
(cntd.):

Reflection: challenging opinions

For me, the things I find most difficult
about challenging the opinions of
other people are:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

I deal with this by:

______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

40
41
How can you develop abilities in critical self-awareness?

• Adopting the right mind-set: openness to self-

discovery
• Readiness to question your assumptions, motives,
actions
• Active self-evaluation and balanced self-
reflection
• Putting time aside to consider, systematically,
how you think and act as you do - and why

Dr. StellaThinking
Critical Cottrell Skills, (Cottrell, 2017) pages 4-6; Chapter 12

42
How can one become a Critical Thinker?
• By asking pertinent questions (of
self as well as others);
• By assessing statements and
arguments;
• By developing a sense of
observation and curiosity;
• By becoming interested in finding
new solutions;
• By examining beliefs, assumptions,
and opinions and weighing them
against truth.
• By developing a “thinker’s
vocabulary”.
• By listening carefully to others, thinking
about what they say, and giving
feedback;
• By observing with an open mind;
• By making assertions based on sound
logic and solid evidence;
• By sharing ideas with others;
• By becoming an open-minded listener
and reader;
• By engaging in active reading and
active listening!
43
Barriers to effective critical thinking:

Over-
Misunder- Lack of
estimating Reluctance
standing of method, Affective
own to critique
what is meant strategies or reasons
reasoning experts
by criticism practice
abilities

44
Barriers to effective critical thinking (cntd.):

Using logic Mistaking Insufficient

Finding the Difficulty in
and information focus and
“Right Avoiding
following for under- attention to
Answer” ambiguity
rules standing detail

45
Which barriers have an effect upon you?

Barrier Has an Effect?

Yes/No
• Misunderstanding what is meant by criticism
_____
• Lack of methods and strategies _____
• Lack of practice
_____
• Reluctance to criticise those with more expertise _____
• Affective reasons
_____
Reflection:
• Mistaking
Considerinformation
what you for
could do to manage these barriers in the _____
understanding
next few months.
• Insufficient focus and attention to detail _____
46
Five Strategies to grow Critical Thinking Skills:

Strategy 1: Be a continuous learner

Strategy 2: Make the right decision for the

majority. 

Strategy 3: Listen and consider unconventional

opinions.

Strategy 4: Avoid analysis paralysis. 

Strategy 5: Analyze yourself.

47
Five myths about Critical Thinking:

Multi-Step
tasks always Critical Critical
Critical thinking
result in thinking is Only certain
thinking instruction
critical an academic students are
leads to is primarily
thinking and exercise with capable of
criticism for younger
critical little critical
and children.
thinking has practical thinking.
disapproval.
to be use.
difficult.

48
Thank You

49