1. Critical Thinking
COS 4870
Bruce K. Barnard

2. Review
Snowball Fight!

3. Review Critical thinking is an active process …
Critical thinking is a skill we can develop in ourselves and promote in others …
We can use critical thinking in all of our roles
Parent
Supervisor
Employee
Citizen

4. Review
Critical thinking involves metathinking.

5. Review Emancipatory Learning Dialectical Thinking Reflective Learning
“learners becoming aware of the forces that brought them to their current situation and taking some action to change some aspect of the situation.
Dialectical Thinking
“understanding and resolving contradictions … looks for and recognizes contradiction as a stimulus to development”
Reflective Learning
“internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an event”

6. Review Analyzing arguments Applying the “therefore” test Reasons
Conclusions
Reason – conclusion
Side by side
Chain of reasoning
Joint Reasoning
Hypothetical
Applying the “therefore” test

7. Review Context Matters! Examine your world-view and culture
Attempt to adopt alternate frames of reference
Think about who is making the argument
Put it in historical and cultural context.
Analyze your own assumptions
Analyze the consequences of assumptions and decisions.

8. Review Egocentric Thinking Identifying Sources Point of View
Get as close to the original source as possible
Credibility of Sources
Point of View
Positivism vs. Constructivism

9. Intellectual Traits Intellectual humility vs. arrogance
Intellectual courage vs. cowardice
Intellectual empathy vs. narrow-mindedness
Intellectual autonomy vs. conformity
Intellectual integrity vs. hypocrisy
Intellectual perseverance vs. laziness
Confidence in reason vs. distrust of reason
Fair-mindedness vs. intellectual unfairness

10. Decisions
Consider a decision you have made in a workplace or organization setting. A decision that turned out not to be the best decision.
Work with your group and generate a list of the common flaws in decision-making. What are the most common mistakes that lead to poor decisions?

11. Critical Thinking, Fisher (2001)
Decision Model
Why is this decision necessary?
What are the alternatives?
What are the possible consequences of each alternative?
How likely/unlikely are the possible consequences?
Are there ethical or moral considerations
Consider each alternative in light of the possible consequences.
Critical Thinking, Fisher (2001)

12. Decision Model Let’s talk about lunch tomorrow.
Apply the decision model to the question “what should we do about lunch”?
Be prepared to present your analysis to the class.

13. Decision Model
Now follow the same process with a decision you are facing soon.
Be prepared to discuss your process with your group.

14. Problem Solving Model Figure out your goals, purposes, and needs.
Wherever possible take problems one at a time
Study the problem
Distinguish problems over which you have control and those over which you have no control

15. Problem Solving Model
What information do you need to solve the problem
Analyze the information
Determine your options
Evaluate your options, advantages and disadvantages
Adopt a strategy – follow through on it
Monitor the implications of your actions

16. Moral/Ethical Thinking
Essential Moral Virtues, Paul (1995)
Humility
Awareness of the limits of our moral knowledge
Understand how native egocentrism can lead to self-deception
Sensitivity to bias and prejudice in our own viewpoint
Acknowledge the limits of our understanding

17. Moral/Ethical Thinking
Courage
Willingness to face and assess moral/ethical ideas or viewpoints to which we are unfamiliar
Recognition that some things we consider dangerous or absurd can be rationally justified, while some things espoused by those around us are false and misleading.

18. Moral/Ethical Thinking
Empathy
Recognize our egocentric tendency to identify truth from long held beliefs and immediate perceptions.
Be aware of the need to attempt to put ourselves in the world of another in order to genuinely understand them

19. Moral/Ethical Thinking
Integrity
Be true to our own moral/ethical beliefs
Hold ourselves to the same rigors of evidence to which we hold those with conflicting views
To be honest when there is a discrepancy in our own thoughts or actions

20. Moral/Ethical Thinking
Perseverance
Willingness to pursue insights and truths in spite of obstacles and difficulties
Adherence to moral principle in spite of the opposition of others

21. Moral/Ethical Thinking
Fairmindedness
Willingness to entertain all moral viewpoints and assess them without reference to our own feelings or vested interests
Application of moral principles without concern for our own advantage, or the advantage of our group.

22. Dialogue Activity RULES
Stay on Topic The topic of the discussion is how can we make ourselves, and each other better critical thinkers using Paul’s description of moral/ethical thinking
Before interjecting a thought or idea you MUST summarize the last speakers statement to their satisfaction.
Reach for new meanings
Challenge yourself

23. Critical Thinking in the Workplace
T chart exercise
Take out a piece of paper.
Write assumptions on one side and consequences on the other.
Now think of a disagreement you have had with a co-worker or supervisor. What assumptions did you make? What were the consequences. What other assumptions might you have made. What would the consequences have been.

24. Critical Thinking in the Workplace
What are the forces at play that make it difficult for us to identify and clarify our assumptions.
Can we design organizations that “learn” like this as part of their design

25. TWO BASIC TYPES OF POWER
POSITION POWER – derived from office
Depends upon downward delegation from one’s own supervisors
Not merely because one has a certain position/title
Related to trust and confidence one engenders among superiors
Often a matter of the rewards and sanctions one’s superiors allow one to distribute

26. TWO BASIC TYPES OF POWER
PERSONAL POWER – derived from personal qualities or characteristics.
Derived from below
Extent to which subordinates respect, value you, experience rapport with you
“charisma” or personal power is not inherent in you as a person. It flows to you from relationship with followers
It is thus fluid and dynamic - like position power
Can be earned and can be taken away

27. Which is better????? IS IT BETTER TO BE LOVED OR FEARED?
Machiavelli - better to be feared (but not hated)
Ultimately, supervisors need both forms of power
Influence UP with personal power
Influence DOWN with positional power

28. SEVEN BASES FOR POWER Coercive – perceived ability to sanction, punish
Connection – perceived association with influential person or persons in the organization
Reward – perceived ability to provide things people want to have
Legitimate – perception that it’s appropriate for you to make this decision or take this action because of position, title, role

29. Power Bases, con’t.
Referent – perceived attractiveness of interacting with you as the leader/supervisor
Information – perceived access to or possession of information that is useful to them.
Expert – perception that you have relevant expertise, education, experience

30. SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Developed by Hersey & Blanchard
A Contingency Theory
Leaders adjust their behavior to fit the maturity level of followers.

31. EMPLOYEE READINESS
Job maturity – the amount of task-relevant knowledge, experience, skill, and ability that the follower possesses.
Psychological maturity – the follower’s self-confidence, commitment, motivation and self-respect relative to the task at hand.
MATURITY IS TASK SPECIFIC!!!! There is no universal maturity level.

32. ASSESSING READINESS M4 High competence High commitment M3
Experienced at job, comfortable with own ability to do it well. Want to do an excellent job. M3
Variable Commit.
Experienced and capable but may lack confidence or motivation to do work well or quickly. M2
Some competence
Low commitment
May have some relevant skills but won’t be able to do the job without help. The task may be new to them. M1
Low competence
Generally lack the specific skills for the task and lack any confidence or motivation to tackle it.

33. SLT Prescriptions For Most Appropriate Behaviors Based On Follower Maturity
Participating (Lo T, Hi R)
Selling (Hi T, Hi R)
Relationship behaviors
Delegating (Lo T, Lo R)
Telling (Hi T, Lo R)
Task behaviors M3 M1 M2 M4
Follower maturity

34. SUPERVISORY RESPONSES FOR EACH QUADRANT
DELEGATE
PARTICIPATE
SELL
TELL
HIGH
MODERATE
LOW
coercive
expert
referent
reward
information
legitimate
connection
PERSONAL
POSITIONAL

35. Situational Leadership
So what does all of this have to do with critical thinking?
Activity

36. Workplace Issues
Group Think
Conflict

37. Problem Solving Questions
Six Types of Socratic Questions
Clarification
Probing Assumptions
Probing Reasons and Evidence
Exploring viewpoints and perspectives
Define implications and consequences
Metaquestions
Paul and Elder (2006)

38. Problem Solving Questions
Which is it?
What are the consequences of that assumption?
Why do you think we are asking this question?
Can you give me an example?
How does that relate to this topic?
Can we verify or refute that assumption?
Is there another way to look at it?

39. Problem Solving Questions
To participate effectively in Socratic Questioning we must:
Listen carefully to what others say
Take what they say seriously
Look for reasons and evidence
Recognize and reflect on assumptions
Discover implications and consequences
Seek analogies, examples, and objections

40. Problem Solving Questions
To participate effectively in Socratic Questioning we must:
Distinguish what we know from what we believe
Enter empathetically into another’s point of view
Be aware of inconsistencies, vagueness and other problems in thinking
Look beneath the surface
Maintain a healthy skepticism
Be willing to helpfully play the devil’s advocate

41. Using Socratic Questioning
Activity

42. The logic of … Use the examples in your handout
As a group, choose a subject
Discuss and prepare a “logic of” grid. Be prepared to present your ideas to the class.

43. Analyzing the Logic of an Article
The main purpose of the article is ______
The key question that the author is addressing is ______________
The most important information in the article is _______________
The main inferences/conclusions in the article are _________________
The key concepts are _______________

44. Analyzing the Logic of an Article
The main assumptions are __________
If we take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are _________
If we fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are ________
The main point of view of the author is _______________

45. Assignments for Next Week
Case Studies
Presentations
Review for Final Exam