ion that he must employ critical thinking skills so that he does not allow personal prejudices, emotions, or stress to affect his thinking processes.According to the authors of Whatever It Takes The Realities of Managerial Decision Making, the six steps to critical thinking and decision making are: 1) a problem is defined and isolated, 2) information is gathered, 3) alternatives are set forth, 4) an end is established, 5) means are created to achieve the end, and 6) a choice is made. The authors say when applied in todays business environment, the six steps are mostly ineffective because executive decision-making is not a series of single linier acts. It is the interference of many other factors (such as murky information, poor information input, and multiple problems intersecting) that makes scientific study of real-life decision-making difficult. (McCall & Kaplan, 1990, pg xvii - xviii) Therefore, the authors suggest case study and specific dissection of past decisions is the best way to learn how to make future decisions.In my field of work (currently training of teaching personnel), decisions must be made as to time management, importance of curriculum vs. methodology, and allocation of skill acquisition importance. In addition, two corporations are my superiors; each with different hierarchies as to who tells me which jobs should be done. My decisions, therefore, must not only be politically correct, but must be ones that make the most people happy. When three different departments from three different divisions ask me to begin a project, someone has to be told to wait. It is at times like these that critical thinking becomes important to justify my decisions when responding to their requests. Critical thinking is used both to justify my decisions and to clarify my thinking. Reference McCall, M. W., & Kaplan, R. E. (1990). Whatever It Takes - The Realities of Managerial Decision Making (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: P...
