CRITICAL THINKING
INTRODUCTION
The ability to think is highly critical in a complex and diverse world that people live in today. Modernization calls for continuous progress and each person is forced to adapt by constantly challenging existing principles and methods of doing things in order to ensure growth. and (1994) claim that the contemporary society requires a skill called critical thinking which is a higher level of intellectual process that makes use of diverse information, skills and attitudes in interpreting situations and confronting problems in the real world. This paper is an attempt to define and discuss the nature of critical thinking as an intellectual process. The first part gives a definition of the concept along with the skills and attitudes that are necessary for critical thinking to be effective. Skills in this paper pertain to the various cognitive abilities that a person utilizes in critical thinking while attitudes are the necessary mind-set and preparations that a person should possess in undergoing the process. The first part seeks to provide a body of knowledge on how critical thinking occurs on the basis of an individual’s innate abilities and personal efforts. The second part aspires to focus on one of the many uses of critical thinking by briefly presenting the applicability of the process for administrative professionals as they go about their daily leadership responsibilities in organizations. The final part contains the conclusion which is a summary of the entire presentation along with some of the writer’s own interpretations.
DEFINITION OF, SKILLS AND ATTITUDES IN CRITICAL THINKING
Critical thinking can be defined as an organized intellectual process that an individual undergoes in using all the information that is available to him or her from the environment to analyze situations, solve problems, develop logical conclusions, evaluate probabilities, and formulate decisions. It is not a simple process of thinking but entails an ability to make use of personal skills, perspectives and values to establish a frame of reference that would result to more effective actions or point of views (, 2003, ). and (2004) state that critical thinking has two important elements namely a set of skills for accumulating and assessing information and perspectives, and the habit and commitment of a person in using his or her various skills to assist action and behavior. Critical thinking is therefore not an effortless process of obtaining and retaining information from observation, communication with others and experience but it also connotes a specific manner by which an individual effectively seeks and store information. It is also a habitual process of utilizing inherent skills in a person as well as the willingness to appreciate the outcomes of continuous use of skills.
According to (1997) critical thinking is the end result of a structured combination and arrangement of a person’s numerous cognitive skills and his or her solid compliance to a set of attitudes and beliefs that govern the manner by which he or she uses information to formulate logical and purposeful decisions. Generally, there are six kinds of skills that are most commonly utilized in critical thinking which include retention, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation skills. Firstly, a critical thinker has to possess retentive skills which may encompass the abilities to recall specific information derived from observation, interaction with other people and previous learning; to seek, gather and store specific concepts, facts, definitions, doctrines and classifications; and to determine the details that would respond to the questions of who, where, what and when. Secondly, a critical thinker has to have effective comprehension skills. Critical thinking requires an individual to be able to absorb the essence of informative materials available for him or her; to assimilate basic principles, terms, theories, and processes; to respond to the questions of how and why using the concepts and theories learned; and to elaborate, interpret or transform learned materials into personal and new perspectives. Thirdly, critical thinking involves the skill to apply information into various situations. A critical thinking person would possess application skills so that he or she would be able to utilize learned information in comprehending and addressing real-life circumstances; to use theories, procedures and principles to alter attitudes, actions and mental processes; to perform experimentations using learned material, conduct additional research and describe results in an objective and interpretative manner; and to make use of principles, terms and theories learned to identify solutions to difficulties. The third skill in critical thinking entails the ability of a person to capitalize on his or her previously learned materials in order to come up with new ideas or determine the need for further study to generate new concepts that would be more beneficial for the person in his or her real-life needs and situations (as cited in the , 2007). Fourthly, critical thinking necessitates analytic skills or the ability to determine and reflect on the relationships among ideas, definitions and concepts; to divide intricate theories, procedures and principles into smaller parts; to systematically inquire into the relationships present between and among the aspects of complex phenomena and theories; and to differentiate distinctive characteristics of each component of an issue and determine the relationship among the components. (, 2006, ). Fifthly, synthesis skill is also a vital component in critical thinking. This skill enables a critical thinker to arrange separate parts together to devise original and innovative wholes; to yield creative and informed opinions, solutions, inferences, and perspectives; and to associate previously learned information with each other in order to formulate new ideas. A critical thinker’s ability to synthesize all learned materials enables him or her to incorporate bits of information so as to come up with powerful perspectives that are complete and original (, 1997 as cited in the , 2007). Finally, critical thinking requires evaluative skills. Evaluation in critical thinking involves the ability of an individual to examine the credibility of information and other descriptions; gauge the logical and rational strength of every statement, concept or idea in order to differentiate fact from fiction, relevant from irrelevant details, and rational from irrational ideas; and to formulate worthwhile judgments and affirm or refuse information based on its implications to certain situations (, 2006, ).
Moreover, critical thinking requires some forms of attitudes to govern the individual in the entire process. First, a critical thinker must be able to understand and accept that critical thinking is a tedious and complex process which requires willingness and readiness to start, commitment to continue no matter how hard it is and determination to complete the process. Second, all the hard work spent in the critical thinking process must be founded on structured planning so that intellectual and physical efforts would not be put to waste. Third, errors and misconceptions are inherent in the process and a critical thinker knows that mistakes provide a basis for effective feedback that can guide him or her to come up with better results in the end. However, a critical thinker must not merely tolerate errors; rather he or she must determine their causes so as to prevent committing the same mistake in the future. Fourth, a critical thinker encounters diverse perspectives and opinions in the process and he or she is required to investigate and understand all sides of a particular issue before formulating conclusions. A critical thinker must also be committed to spending substantial effort to learn points of views that are contradictory to his own. Fifth, a critical thinker must adopt an attitude of “healthy skepticism” through which he or she can derive the will to investigate further and correct biased, irrational and subjective information. Sixth, ideas set forth by any theory or belief must be meticulously evaluated and comprehended before they are acknowledged or eliminated. Seventh, a critical thinker must be open to modifying his/her personal ideas or interpretations when logical and experimented evidence say so. Eight, critical thinkers are aware that there is no phenomenon that is too complex or doctrinal that cannot be understood by looking deeper into its essence to derive the relationships and meanings of various parts. Next, several theories and perspectives abound to explain action and behaviors. A critical thinker must be able to take into consideration his/her own cultural, personal and social values before using any to govern his/her behaviors and actions. Furthermore, critical thinking involves the study and interpretation of various methods of doing things. A critical thinker must be committed to carefully investigating the purposes and applicability of the methods in every life situation. Finally, in critical thinking, the individual must possess an attitude of loving continuous learning since it is a process that combines academic, professional and personal experiences in trying to acquire information about the world, interpreting this information, finding empirical evidence that would support or invalidate learned information, forming conclusions, and making use of informed interpretations to guide day to day actions and behavior (cited in the , 2007).
CRITICAL THINKING AS A TOOL FOR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGERS
Critical thinking is especially crucial in organizations wherein diverse individuals interact on a day to day basis and every organizational effort impacts a wide range of people such as employees, partners, investors, clients and even the outside community. It is said that critical thinking is a helpful tool for administrators and supervisors in the effective performance of their leadership responsibilities. Administrators and supervisors are the people that guide the entire organization in its activities. They are also the authorities who constantly come across issues, situations and complaints on the various aspects of the organization. Thus, administrators must be able to foster commitment to critical thinking in order for them to encourage people to analyze situations, interpret their effect on performance, and talk about difficulties and issues. From these details, administrators can effectively understand the real situation, weigh inputs from several people, and render appropriate solutions so as not to jeopardize corporate efforts towards the fulfillment of organizational objectives ( and , 2000, ). Administrators and supervisors who are committed to critical thinking according to (2001) establish and nurture an organizational culture of openness wherein all employees and officers have the freedom to provide a critical appraisal of every organizational decision, process, policy, and activity. Critical thinking guides supervisors and administrators in their everyday practice with organizational situations and diverse employees by enabling them to accurately understand distinct perspectives of staff; pay attention to how employees make use of reasoning and not just how they deliver performance or output; evaluate issues and matters that are vital to the continuous existence of the organization; and identify gaps between personal beliefs, existing business practices and research-proven best practices in the industry. (2004) elaborates that critical thinking as an administrative strategy can be a significant goal for the organization to live by in all its present and future endeavors. It is something that supervisors should consistently practice and display to the employees to encourage them to be concerned to what the organization is facing. Critical thinking is also a prerequisite of continuous learning since it enables both administrators and personnel in an organization to continuously identify valuable information in their daily performance, incorporate these information into their lives, make them as basis for continuous improvement of performance and decision making ability, and eventually make the organization a living and progressing entity.
CONCLUSION
Critical thinking is one of the most vital processes of everyday life. It is a systematic endeavor wherein an individual makes use of his innate cognitive skills of retention, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation while adopting desirable attitudes so as to come up with well-informed and objective interpretations and solutions to real-life circumstances. A critical thinker has the willingness and enthusiasm to find as much information as possible and store it in a way that would enable him or her to retrieve it when necessary, understand and play around with the accumulated information in order to come up with his own distinct interpretations, thoroughly comprehend the real essence of theories and concepts through deeper investigation and evaluation of each element comprising a particular concept, rearrange learned information to formulate new ideas, and develop conclusions that are applicable to real-life purposes. Critical thinking is useful in various professional practices especially in administrative tasks. Critical thinking enables administrators to pay attention to every single issue confronting the organization, help the staff to understand the real situation, encourage analysis of the impacts of situations to the organization, assess inputs and suggestions, and eventually devise the best possible solution to address the prevailing organizational issue.
REFERENCES
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