Critical Thinking

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             According to Browne and Keeley in their book, Critical Thinking: Asking the Right Questions, critical thinking consists of an awareness of a set of interrelated critical questions, plus the capacity and readiness to ask and answer them at appropriate times. These questions provide a structure to support an ongoing search for better opinions, decisions, and judgments. Applying critical thinking skills can improve self-confidence because it increases one's own sense of intellectual independence. (2-3). .
             Critical thinking can be used to help individuals and organizations to be better decision makers because it involves a thought process that is analytical and logical. Critical thinking is unambiguous, precise, accurate, relevant, consistent, and fair. Critical thinkers evaluate ideas and identify the most reasonable ones, thus, creating an environment for good decision making.
             The decision making process is far more complicated and less straight forward than most people realize. Historically, classical thinking of managerial decision making has viewed the process to be orderly and rational. A problem is identified and defined; it is isolated; additional information is collected; alternatives are evaluated; an end is established; means to the end are created; and, a choice is made (Morgan xviii). This is classic problem solving and fits perfectly into a critical thinker's tool box. However, managers may not always make decisions based on analysis and logic. At times, other factors can affect a decision and while critical thinking may be used, it may not contribute very much to the final decision. .
             Managers must make decisions based on many factors, some of which can not be easily defined and isolated. These intangibles can usually be traced to the "human factor." Human beings are not logical by nature; they are emotional creatures. Therefore, an inversely proportional relationship exists between the number of people involved in solving a problem and the likelihood of critical thinking being successfully applied to solving the problem.