critical thinking in management pdf

Critical Thinking for Managers

Structured Decision-Making and Persuasion in Business

• © 2021
• Radu Atanasiu   ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8850-9538 0

Bucharest International School of Management, Bucharest, Romania

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

• Offers a structured approach and easy-to-use tools for improving decision-making in business
• Presents tested methods to cope with disagreement and to learn from failure
• Structures the persuasion process by highlighting the correct mix of arguments and empathy
• Discusses critical thinking as tool for humane leadership

Part of the book series: Management for Professionals (MANAGPROF)

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

Radu Atanasiu

Who Needs Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking in business decision-making, hidden assumptions, test your business assumptions, reason, emotions, intuition, cognitive biases, decisions, decisions, decisions, decision-making in groups, problem solving, critical thinking in persuasion, one-on-one persuasion, ten fair-play principles in argumentation, the courage to change our mind.

• Critical thinking course
• Testing business assumptions
• Strategic thinking
• A/B testing
• Managerial intuition and rationality
• Managerial heuristics
• Cognitive biases in leadership
• Dunning Kruger effect
• Cognitive dissonance in business

About this book

This book discusses critical thinking as a tool for more compassionate leadership, presenting tried and tested methods for managing disagreement, for anticipating and solving problems, and for enhancing empathy. Employing a lighter tone of voice than most management books, it also shows how and when less-than-rational mechanisms such as intuition and heuristics may be efficient decision-making tools in any manager’s toolbox.  

Critical thinking is useful for analyzing incoming information in the context of decision-making and is crucial for structuring outgoing information in the context of persuasion. When trying to convince a client to buy a service, an executive board to fund a project, or a colleague to change a procedure, managers can use the simple step-by-step guides provided here to prepare for successful meetings and effective pitches.

Managerial thinking can be steadily improved, using a structured process, especially if we learn to think about our thinking. This book guides current and would-be managers through this process of improving and metathinking, in connection with decision-making and persuasion. Using examples from business, together with research insights from Behavioral Economics and from Management and Organizational Cognition, the author illustrates common pitfalls like hidden assumptions and cognitive biases, and provides easy-to-use solutions for testing hypotheses and resolving dilemmas. 

“It is a how-to guide on critical thinking for managers. Although it is a very serious subject it is written in a pleasant, engaging and easy-to-read style and is larded with some fun, enlightening and sometimes challenging intermezzos. The book has a certain focus on decision making and pursuasion as the subtitle discloses and it is a very efficient pick from the vast world of critical thinking for practical use by managers.” (Paul Hartog, goodreads.com, July 15, 2021)

Authors and Affiliations

About the author, bibliographic information.

Book Title : Critical Thinking for Managers

Book Subtitle : Structured Decision-Making and Persuasion in Business

Authors : Radu Atanasiu

Series Title : Management for Professionals

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73600-2

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Business and Management , Business and Management (R0)

Copyright Information : Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-030-73599-9 Published: 11 May 2021

eBook ISBN : 978-3-030-73600-2 Published: 10 May 2021

Series ISSN : 2192-8096

Series E-ISSN : 2192-810X

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : VII, 186

Number of Illustrations : 1 b/w illustrations, 16 illustrations in colour

Topics : Human Resource Development , Management , Industrial and Organizational Psychology , Economic Psychology

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HBR Guide to Critical Thinking

By: Harvard Business Review

Tackle complex situations with critical thinking. You're facing a problem at work. There are many ways you can approach the situation, but each comes with its own pros and cons. How do you sort…

• Length: 256 page(s)
• Publication Date: Jan 31, 2023
• Discipline: General Management
• Product #: 10587-PDF-ENG

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Tackle complex situations with critical thinking. You're facing a problem at work. There are many ways you can approach the situation, but each comes with its own pros and cons. How do you sort through all the information so that you know you're taking the right path? The answer is in how you think. The "HBR Guide to Critical Thinking" will help you navigate your most challenging issues, from difficult problems to tough decisions to complex scenarios. By carefully observing the situation, gathering information, inviting other perspectives, and analyzing what's in front of you, you can move forward with confidence while building this crucial leadership skill. You'll learn how to: Question your assumptions; Keep an open mind to opposing viewpoints; Sidestep cognitive biases; Use data--when appropriate; Grow comfortable with ambiguity; Find innovative and creative solutions. Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Jan 31, 2023

Discipline:

General Management

Harvard Business Press Chapters

10587-PDF-ENG

256 page(s)

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Linking Critical Thinking and Knowledge Management: A Conceptual Analysis

Sustainability

Knowledge management and critical thinking are two broad and important phenomena for contemporary society. Their concepts are both well-discussed in the literature. However, the existing conceptual links between them have not been analyzed, and the role of critical thinking in the process of effective knowledge management has not been revealed. This article aims to fill this gap by presenting the conceptual connections between knowledge management and critical thinking. In order to reveal the inner structure of each concept and identify the conceptual connections, a critical review was conducted. The results showed the links between the concepts of knowledge management and critical thinking within three dimensions: relationships, process, and goals. In conclusion, each dimension is presented and described, with a special focus on the unexpected and deep intersections revealed between the two concepts on a personal, interpersonal, and societal level. This research may be regarded as ...

Related Papers

Solehah Yaacob

—The study focuses on revisiting the effectiveness of Critical Thinking in human mind capability as a major faculty in human life. The tool used as a measurement of this knowledge ability consists of several processes including experience and education background. To emphasize thèOverview`concept, the researcher highlights two major aspects of philosophical approach, they are; Divine Revelation Concept and Modern Scientific Theory. The research compares between the both parties to introduce the Divine Revelation into Modern Scientific theory. An analytical and critical study of the both concepts become the methodology of the discussion.

International Education Studies

Mohammad H Yarmohammadian

nafiaa Bouanani

Critical thinking as a topic lurks fascinatingly behind and about higher education and professional development. The scope of research done on critical thinking revolves mainly around how to promote and sharpen student’s critical thinking skills as they are considered to be at the heart of successful academic assertiveness. However, there is another component, namely developmental epistemology, which is central to developing and fostering critical thinking skills and which should be taken into account in pedagogical implications and applications. Epistemological development has been the subject of a number of studies over the last half century that indicate that there is a developmental sequence in learner’s epistemological beliefs and that this influences the manner in which the learners function; significantly affecting their capacity for critical thinking. In particular, this paper looks briefly at the relationship between critical thinking and epistemological development as a process as well as beliefs of the individual learner, both standing for learner’s conceptions of knowledge which impact to a great extent the acquisition of critical thinking skills and the process of critical thinking as a whole. Keywords: Critical Thinking, epistemology, beliefs, knowledge

Tiou Clarke

One skill that many people today are lacking is the ability to assess situations and objectively develop solutions that can fix the issue at the same time, not to the detriment of another. Not many people can ask the right questions to get quality answers that can create new knowledge. The average man might not even understand what it means to think critically as he is used to his own way of thinking. This way may not be the best way, but it is the way he knows how. Critical thinking no doubt has become an integral part of education, the world of work, and even our regular life. The aim of this article is to dissect what is critical thinking by providing an in-depth view of what this means over the years and providing a little background on the idea of critical thinking and the foundation that gave rise to this. This article will also talk about the critical aspects of this form of thinking as well as some critical questions that can be asked to further develop thinking. This assignment will also assess the application of critical thinking to different situations as well as assessment instruments that can be used to measure critical thinking. The article will conclude with a new definition of critical thinking as well as a five-step process for critical thinking.

Journal of Educational Studies and Multidisciplinary Approaches (JESMA)

Marco Ferreira

Critical thinking is a key feature of the organizational cultures of higher education institutions, given its multiple impacts on graduates’ academic, professional and personal levels. Thus, most of these higher education institutions in the Arab Gulf region state in their strategic plans, implicitly and explicitly, objectives related to enhancing students’ critical thinking skills. Despite the apparent prevalence of such objectives, the concept of critical thinking (CT) is hardly taught in higher education institutions in the Arab Gulf region for different reasons. One of these reasons is that the perception of the concept is still in its infancy in the region, even among professors. This study aims to investigate how the perceptions and knowledge of critical thinking of English as a Second Language professors in the General Foundation Program at the College, a higher education institution in Muscat, foster critical thinking teaching. This is a qualitative and exploratory study with 10 professors and the data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The thematic analysis identified 4 themes: 1. First encounter with CT; 2. Connotations and denotations of CT; 3. Attainability of CT; 4. Scarce teaching of CT. The participants revealed their belief in the attainability of critical thinking. However, they expressed difficulties in implementing critical thinking teaching in their classrooms. The General Foundation Program’s professors referred openly to the disparity between their espoused beliefs and enacted practices.

Journal of advanced nursing

Judy Duchscher

Karl M Wiig

Preface The worldwide industrial and economic transformations that now take place have led to significant upheavals for workers and professionals in nearly all fields. More critical than the worker issues are the tremendous societal restructuring and changes that many perceive to be permanent. The turmoil stem from several factors; greater pressures to increase product quality and decrease costs; basic and frequent changes in business practices and in consumer and high technology products; price wars in most segments of the world economy, and crucial and often painful shifts in markets, policies, and economic structures caused by a worldwide recession. Many of these changes and their underlying factors are discussed in depth by Drucker who argues that we already have started a transition into the global “Knowledge Society” -- although we do not yet understand what that entails, and probably will not really have an overview of what is happening for some decades to come.* These changes have profound impacts on the complexity of the workplace, requiring higher levels of knowledge and skills on the part of every individual who wishes to hold a responsible job and every organization that wishes to be consistently successful. Although we face enormous challenges in general education to prepare entrants to the job market, the greatest challenge is to reeducate our current workforce. Given the rapid changes and advances in most fields, skills and techniques learned more than a decade ago are inadequate to compete in today’s job market. In the face of these challenges, the major defense for organizations is to manage knowledge on a broad basis -- educate, build their internal knowledge base, pool and deploy the knowledge they have, invest in development of new and proprietary knowledge, and put their knowledge to use as effectively as possible. This book is about a new set of foundations for management methods. Specifically, it is about what knowledge is, and how business can use it, harness, enhance, and manage it so it is of the best value to the organization. The central premise behind knowledge management is that the factors that lead to superior performance -- organizational creativity, operational effectiveness, and quality of products and services -- are all improved when better knowledge is made available and used competently where and when needed. This premise supports the management philosophies and corporate cultures of highly successful companies but is in direct contrast with traditional Taylorism.** Knowledge management complements and must be considered in combination with modern management methods such as Dr. Deming’s Total Quality Management.*** In short, the knowledge management perspectives, approaches, and methods, help to promote and enhance such practices as: • Business process reengineering • Enterprise-wide integrated operations • Participative management with empowerment of all knowledge workers • Total quality management and quality function deployment (QFD) • Collaborative workstyles • Supportive work environment and corporate culture When considering the value of knowledge management, we need to define what we mean by “knowledge,” particularly in contrast to “information.” To avoid misconceptions we must differentiate between the two using an operational definition such as the following: Knowledge consists of facts, truths, and beliefs, perspectives and concepts, judgments and expectations, methodologies and know-how. Knowledge is accumulated and integrated and held over longer periods to be available to be applied to handle specific situations and problems. Information consists of facts and data that are organized to describe a particular situation or condition. Knowledge is subsequently applied to interpret the available information about a particular situation and to decide how to manage it. We use knowledge to determine what the situation or condition means. Knowledge management programs provide the organization with powerful processes that allow its managers to use innovative ways to support their pursuit of leadership. By sharing some of the perspectives and approaches that have been useful, we hope that this book will generate visions for new ways of doing business based on different uses of knowledge. The book is partially motivated by the concern that knowledge and expertise are not recognized as directly manageable assets in most U.S. companies. Most managers express that they do not know how to characterize, appraise, or manage knowledge explicitly and actively even though we are becoming a knowledge-based, postindustrial society where knowledge and expertise play a more important role than ever before. This concern was strongly substantiated by a small survey that I undertook of chief executives of Fortune 50 companies in 1989. The topic of knowledge management has generated considerable interest among the executives and professionals that we work with. First, as many have commented, the area is vast. Second, the topic is of critical importance to the future of all companies. Finally, the treatment provided in this book represents the tip of the iceberg and is only one perspective of what we need to know about the topic. Hopefully it will be revised again and again by practitioners from all over. Major questions confront any manager who introduces new management methods or advocates change. Introduction of knowledge management is no different. Some of the questions that must be addressed are: • What is knowledge management all about? • Is it worth for me to consider knowledge management at this time? • Which business advantages might we realize from active knowledge management? • Which experiences have others had, and where should we start? • What are the risks and pitfalls? • How do we determine the value of knowledge management, and how do I justify it? • Which framework exists for knowledge management and which paradigm can I adopt to “wrap my arms” around this concept and for important knowledge situations that require my attention? • Which knowledge management approaches and methodologies are available, and how practical are they? • How does knowledge management relate to existing programs and management activities? How does it differ from, and complement, what we are doing already? • What are expert systems and how do they support knowledge management? These are complex issues but hopefully the treatment will be of help to the manager who wants to win in the competitive game and to do so with confidence and decisiveness, and avoid wasteful pitfalls along the way. This book is intended for managers who want to build, not dismantle. It is not for managers who manage with short-term “cash-cow” attitudes in a hand-to-mouth existence. The concepts presented are for managers who work to build the strength of the organization to excel for a longer time in the global business environment. It is for managers who want to change the organization by improving its processes and letting its people work smarter and by exploiting the organization’s strengths without depleting its resources. This book is the result of varied experiences, with the last 23 years in management consulting. In the 1960s I had the opportunity to work with applied research and application of technology to areas where competitive knowledge was very important and where knowledge transfer and its management were keys to success. Later, I was fortunate to work with many clients who needed to manage knowledge -- as we now understand it -- for using and evaluating knowledge, intellectual strategies, technology, and transfer of technology, skills, and expertise. The engagements occurred in many countries and for many purposes, and included automation of human expertise in knowledge-based systems of many types. In the 1970s, I was asked to help large organizations and governmental agencies develop approaches to achieve their objectives. These engagements ranged from business and policy analyses, strategizing, creation of manual and automated planning systems, to development of executive information and decision support systems. During the beginning of the 1980s, my work largely focused on the application of artificial intelligence -- often with motivations that were extensions of conventional systems thinking. Around 1985, it became apparent that we approached application of artificial intelligence much too narrowly. We were automating small and relatively simple aspects of human reasoning in isolated business situations. It was clear that a broader perspective was needed. We needed to consider how knowledge should be managed across the whole organization. In 1986 the thinking in my group at Arthur D. Little had progressed to the point that we went public with our concepts. Since then, my associates and I have had many opportunities to help clients organize and carry out their knowledge management programs. It is the perspectives derived from these experiences and the corresponding research that I have attempted to share in this book.

Studies in Higher Education 38, 4: pp 506-522

The article reports a study that investigated ideas about critical thinking as held by academics working in three disciplines: history, philosophy and cultural studies. At least seven definitional strands were identified in the informants’ commentaries, namely critical thinking: (i) as judgement; (ii) as skepticism; (iii) as a simple originality; (iv) as sensitive readings; (v) as rationality; (vi) as an activist engagement with knowledge; and (vii) as self-reflexivity. This multiplicity of meanings is thought to have important implications for university teaching and learning. The design of the study and the conclusions drawn from it draw heavily on Wittgenstein’s idea of meaning as use.

Parviz Birjandi

This paper offers a state-of-the-art working definition for the concept of Critical Thinking (CT hereafter) in an attempt to provide a framework for the development of an operational definition for this complex concept. Having studied various definitions and models, proposed for CT by major figures in the field, the key defining features of this rich concept were identified and classified. Based on these key descriptors, a working definition consisting of three main components namely Mind Analysis, Data Evaluation, and Thinking in Education has been proposed and then each dimension of this definition is defined and elaborated further so that the complexity of the concept could be framed in an extended model. The elaborated conception of CT proposed in this paper seeks to include the core elements of CT so that it can be expandable into an operational definition with measurable items. There are two main reasons for conducting this research: Firstly, CT has evolved into a multifaceted...

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A Short Guide to Building Your Team’s Critical Thinking Skills

• Matt Plummer

Critical thinking isn’t an innate skill. It can be learned.

Most employers lack an effective way to objectively assess critical thinking skills and most managers don’t know how to provide specific instruction to team members in need of becoming better thinkers. Instead, most managers employ a sink-or-swim approach, ultimately creating work-arounds to keep those who can’t figure out how to “swim” from making important decisions. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To demystify what critical thinking is and how it is developed, the author’s team turned to three research-backed models: The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment, Pearson’s RED Critical Thinking Model, and Bloom’s Taxonomy. Using these models, they developed the Critical Thinking Roadmap, a framework that breaks critical thinking down into four measurable phases: the ability to execute, synthesize, recommend, and generate.

With critical thinking ranking among the most in-demand skills for job candidates , you would think that educational institutions would prepare candidates well to be exceptional thinkers, and employers would be adept at developing such skills in existing employees. Unfortunately, both are largely untrue.

• Matt Plummer (@mtplummer) is the founder of Zarvana, which offers online programs and coaching services to help working professionals become more productive by developing time-saving habits. Before starting Zarvana, Matt spent six years at Bain & Company spin-out, The Bridgespan Group, a strategy and management consulting firm for nonprofits, foundations, and philanthropists.  

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