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CRITICAL THINKING
Dr. Ahmad Faraz Khan, FMSR, AMU
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Critical Thinking Syllabus
Unit-I: Introduction to Critical Thinking
• Thinking Critically: Definition, Standards, Barriers
• Perceiving and Believing
• Framework & Tools of Critical Thinking
• Tools for Clarity in Critical Thinking
Three components:
vCLARITY: Questioning/understanding a
situation; Getting clear on the issue/problem/ goal
vCONCLUSIONS: coming to conclusion on what to do based on the clarity about the issue/problem/goal
vDECISIONS: taking action on that conclusion;
deciding to act on the conclusions.
Critical Thinking Framework
D
The Critical Thinking Framework
CLARITY CONCLUSIONS DECISIONS
Discovery, information, ideas
Tools & Techniques for
“Clarity”
vEmpty your Bucket vInspection
vWhy?
vSo What?
vNeed
vAnticipatory Thinking vWhat Else?
vThe Ingredient Diagram
TOOLS &TECHNIQUES FOR “CLARITY”
Empty Your Bucket
Been there, done that!
Conflicting priorities, strategies and
projects
Lack of resources, time, and budget
Other departments
Past projects
Failures/
Successes
Interactions
Empty Your Bucket
There is
always a
way!
What all the words in a given headscratcher mean
v Example: “We need to improve the quality of our services”
§ Who are we?
§ Is this a need or a want?
§ Improve to what?
§ What’s the definition of quality?
§ Does this mean every services; every touch, etc.
Inspection
www.themegallery.com Exercise-1 (5 mins)
Rewrite these sentences so that they are clear:
vWe need to get there faster
vOur project is behind schedule
vI’ll get back to you soon on that issue
vPlease call these customers and find out what they want
Why?
Is the most powerful question we can ask during the critical thinking processWhy?- Does not mean ”not caring”
We ask why:
• To distinguish this from that
• To find a root cause
• To get to “I don’t know”
• To get to the double because (Because!!)
Why?
Distinguish this from that
Can you please run a report showing the sales
of each product for the past four months?
OK!
Distinguish this from that
Now can you show the sales of each product by salesperson?
OK!
Distinguish this from that
Now, can you do one for the marketing programs that have been approved
for the next six months?
OK!
Distinguish this from that
Excuse me, but are you requesting this data so that
you can create a sales forecast?
Yes
Distinguish this from that
Oh, if that’s what you want to create, you might want the product release
schedule over the next six months, because we are updating many of our
products and expect a significant increase in revenue
Oh, really
Distinguish this from that
It’s better to ask WHY? in the first place
Ask Why to Get to a Root Cause
THIS happened.
Because of that.
Because of that other thing.
Because of this Root Cause.
Why?
Why?
Why?
“I don’t know” may seem like a lack of response But
It is actually a very important discovery
v It clarifies the boundary of knowledge we or other might have about a situation.
v It is a signal to ask other questions, such as
§ Who might know that you can ask to find out?
§ How can we find out?
§ Can we make any assumption that will allow us to know and then validate or invalidate those assumptions later?
Ask Why To Get to “I don’t know”
vDouble because- it’s a because you can’t reasonably do anything about
vBecause!! Is a constraint to our eventual solution
vExample: “Why do we have to do all this paperwork?”
Because!! you work in a regulated industry
Ask Why to Get to Because!!
vSo what? is not a question you ask if you don’t care
rather,
you ask because you care a great deal vIt’s not insubordination or being wise
vWhat is the relevance of this?/Why is this important?
So What?
vYour company’s so what is often called its value proposition
vIt is price, service, availability, uniqueness or all of them
vYour so what- what value do you provide to your peers, family and company
So What?
www.themegallery.com
Exercise-2 (7 mins)
vPick up any item on your desk- a piece of paper, a pen, a cup holder- what is the so what about that item? Why is it important?
How is it relevant? What if it weren’t there?
vWhat is your so what? What makes you valuable to your peers, your family, or your company? What are the skills, accomplishments, or things that you have or do that make a difference?
“Necessity is the mother of invention”
- Plato What is the Necessity?
vWant Vs Need
§ Example- Email Inbox
§ “We need to be more agile”
v Great Teams and Need
§ Example- 1995 dial-up ISP- New pricing: $19.95 for unlimited usage
v Need and Survival
§ Example- Swim or Perish
Need
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Exercise-3 (5 mins)
vMake a list of things you plan to do tomorrow. Use this template
Item What is the
need?
What happens if it doesn’t get done tomorrow?
Anticipatory Thinking is a way to stimulate thinking about consequences and related tasks that you
have may not have initially contemplated
§ What’s next?
§ What after that?
§ What will happen if I do this?
§ What might be the reaction if I say this?
Example- Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, Google, Apple, etc.
Anticipatory Thinking
Used in conjunction with Why?
When ideas start to subside, asking what else stimulates lateral thinking
§ What else could possibly cause this?
§ During brainstorming
§ When building or designing something
§ When you thought you knew the reason for something
§ Augment What’s next with What else
What Else?
Ingredients are variables that define a headscratcher
Clarifies the variables affecting the problem
A tool that helps you transition between clarity and conclusion
(fishbone diagram)
The Ingredient Diagram
Distance to petrol pump
Kms per Litre
Traffic
Day of Week Time of Day Tune-up
Weight
# of people Luggage
On roof?
In trunk?
Trailer
Speed
Tire Pressure
Wind Direction
Speed Limits
Speed traps Who’s driving?
The Ingredient Diagram
Productivity
Time
Manager Distractions
Tools Computer
Applications Training Support
Focus
Interruptions
Noise
Amount of Work
Project
# of tasks
Difficulty level Responsibility
Quality
Defects
Tools
Metrices
AgreementsSLA
Reports
The Ingredient Diagram
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Exercise-4 (7 mins)
1. Group of 4
2. Create an ingredient diagram for
“What should we do for lunch?”
Hint: Cost, No. of people, time, distance, appetite and cuisine
