"Gone are the days when management expected workers to check their brains at the door and do only as told" (Guffey 10). Nowadays we are expected to use our brains to think critically when solving problems. In today's business world, critical thinking is an important skill. As a business professional, there will be times when you need to analyze a situation and give a summary of it. A good critical thinker has the ability to state his or her thoughts clearly and precisely.
In a world of constant deadlines that often times are incredibly short, it is important to be able to think well under pressure without being impulsive or jumping to conclusions. In this scenario, the deadline is fast approaching and it looks as if it will be impossible to finish the project in time. It will be necessary to write a progress report that states that the work has not yet been completed.
Critical thinking is the foundation for good communication. When writing a progress report that includes negative information, such as the project not meeting deadline, it is important to communicate this information in a way that has the least negative impact. This is where critical thinking skills come into play.
First, let us address what critical thinking is. "Critical thinking is the disciplined art of thinking that transforms thinking. Critical thinking ensures that you use the best thinking you are capable of in any set of circumstances" (Productivelearn). In addition, "Critical thinking allows us to take a step back, question our assumptions, and understand the inter-relatedness of how our thinking influences our emotions and feelings, and vice versa. By being able to utilize a systematic process of examining our thought process, we can produce more effective results, with less resistance to the acceptance of our ideas" (Productivelearn).
Before beginning to write the progress report, we should take time to think about how critical thinking goes hand-in-hand with problem solving and decision-making. In our scenario of writing a progress report that states that the project will not be ready by deadline, we can use problem-solving skills to determine the underlying cause of the not being able to meet deadline and then reach a decision on how to effectively deal with it.
Guffey suggests we use a system of progressive steps when faced with a problem (10). The steps help us to focus on the problem and find a suitable solution. The first and most important step is to identify and clarify the problem. In our case, the project will not meet deadline and we must inform our bosses about the situation.
Next, we should gather as much information as possible about the problem. This step involves brainstorming about possible causes and solutions. We may need to talk to others or do additional research as to what is causing the delay. When faced with talking to others to determine the nature of the hold up, keep in mind the following characteristics of good critical thinkers. Critical thinkers are "able to identify issues of belief, empirical truth, and logic, identify relevant and irrelevant claims in a given context, determine when additional information is needed for a given purpose, identify valid and invalid arguments, including fallacies of deduction and induction, evaluate credibility of sources of information and opinion, and recognize misleading uses of language" (Critical Thinking Assessment Project).
We should ask ourselves who, what, where, why, when, and how. Some of the questions we can ask are: Is a specific person or department holding up progress, and if so, why? Is further investigation or tests needed? Why? What has been accomplished already? Was too much time spent in other areas? Was the deadline just unrealistically short? All these questions and more should be addressed during this step.
When brainstorming solutions, sometimes the old way of doing things, is no longer the best way. Be sure to include non-traditional methods of accomplishing the task. Do not just look at the surface, dig deeper and try to find creative alternatives. The point is to remain as open mined so that you can acquire as much information as possible that you can use when making an informed decision.
Then it is time to evaluate the evidence. Now it is time to apply your critical thinking skills again. Some of the questions you can ask during this stage are: "Where did the information come from? Does it represent various points of view? What biases could be expected from each source? How accurate is the information gathered? It is fact or opinion?" (Guffey 10). Answering these questions will help clarify the information and weed out that which is irrelevant or inaccurate. Good critical thinkers always search deeper for that which can be proven as fact.
In the forth step consider the alternatives and implications. For instance placing blame on one co-worker for not completing their part of the project on time could have a negative outcome. That worker may have had a valid reason for being unable to do so and you could ruin a good working relationship. In another situation you could state that the deadline was unreasonable, which in your bosses eyes could make you come across as not giving the project enough effort and hinder your chance of promotion.
Before making the final decision, take a step back and ask yourself the following questions: "What information am I using? How am I interpreting that information? What conclusions am I coming to? What am I taking for granted, what assumptions am I making? If I accept the conclusions, what are the implications? What would the consequences be, if I put my thought into action?" (Identifying the Targets). Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative before finally deciding on which information and possible solutions should be included in your progress report.
Now that we have done the groundwork, it is time to write the progress report. The outline of the report in many ways actually flows along with the critical thinking process that I just covered. The beginning of the report states the purpose of the report. Next, the background to the problem and reason for the report is declared. Then it goes on to cover the work that has already been completed and the work that is yet to be completed. Next is the section where our critical thinking skills are beneficial. This section describes the problems encountered and our decisions on how to handle them.
It is extremely important that we stick to the facts here. We use the information what we learned from the problem solving process and the solutions that we decided upon. Finally, we sum up the progress report with a new suggested cutoff date when the final report shall be submitted.
In summary, it is important to use critical thinking skills when communicating both verbally and in writing with others. We communicated with others doing the problem solving process to determine possible reasons for the project not being complete on time, and to discover possible solutions to the problem. In addition, focusing on good critical thinking skills while writing the progress report will help make the overall tone of the report more positive and professional. Rather then pointing blame on someone, you will research the situation and get all the facts in hand before making a decision on what to include in the progress report. Putting your critical thinking skills in practice will lead to your success in writing the progress report.
Works Cited
Critical Thinking Assessment Project. California State University. 3 Mar. 2006 from http://www.csuchico.edu/phil/ct/ct_assess.htm
"Critical Thinking: Identifying the Targets." Critical Thinking Community 3 Mar. 2006 from http://www.criticalthinking.org/resources/articles/ct-identifying-targets.shtml
Guffey, Mary Ellen. Business Communication: Process and Product, 4e. Ohio: Thomson, 2003.
"Why Bother to Use Critical Thinking in the Workplace?". Productivelearn. 2002. 3 Mar. 2006 from http://www.productivelearn.com/ProductiveTools/HTML/WhyBotherCThink.htm