DCL 600M Apply Critical Thinking

Your manager Phil visits your office. “I’m meeting with Betty. Would you mind joining us for a minute?”

You grab a notepad and pen and follow him.

“Betty and I have been talking about a serious problem we might be facing. Have you heard about it?”

You explain that you’ve heard some rumors, but don’t know the details.

“We’ve got the legal department involved, but we want to make sure we’re looking at this from all angles. We’re still sorting out the facts ourselves, so we’ll send you the details after this meeting. We need to know what we know and what we don’t know about the situation. Your critical thinking and analytical skills are going to be key for this assignment. Write up an analysis and deliver it to me by the end of the week.”

Step 1: Prepare to Think Critically

Prepare to respond to your boss’s request for an analysis of a problem in your organization. You realize that this will require careful thinking. So, you need to take time to review the process of critical thinking and problem analysis, as well as key habits of master thinkers and ethical decision making.

Step 2: Identify the Problem

Your first task is to figure out how the circumstances resulted in a problem for the organization. Remember the direction from your boss is to “apply your critical thinking and analytical skills to figure out what happened, what we know and don’t know, and how the organization might remedy this situation.”

What is the problem that resulted from the circumstances, and why might there be different interpretations of the facts? Outline the points that you want to make in the first two sections of your paper (introduction and explanation), and draft those sections.

Step 3: Analyze the Information

Now that you have some understanding of the nature of the problem and the parties involved, it’s time to gather and analyze information. The problem analysis resources will aid your analysis and development of the third section of the paper.

Outline the points that you want to make in Section 3: Analysis of the Information, then draft that section.

Step 4: Consider and Analyze Other Viewpoints, Conclusions, and Solutions

nce you have completed your analysis of the incident, the next step is to consider other viewpoints, conclusions, and solutions. To do this, you will need to apply ethical decision making skills. If you missed it earlier, we also recommend that you read Randolph Pherson’s “The Five Habits of the Master Thinker,” a paper written for intelligence analysts, but applicable to all analytical thinking and reasoning.

Outline the points that you want to make in Section 4: Analysis of Alternative Viewpoints, Conclusions, and Solutions, and draft that section of your paper.

Step 5: Develop Well-Reasoned Conclusions

Now that you’ve considered various viewpoints, you’re ready to develop your own personal conclusions and suggest solutions that your boss can bring to leadership in briefing them about the situation.

Remember, you may need to consult outside references, but this is not a research paper. It should be investigative in nature about the facts of the case. Cite any outside sources carefully.

Now, outline your argument and draft Section 5: Conclusions and Recommendations, the final section. Your boss is expecting to receive a concise, focused paper to prepare for further meetings. Stay focused on the main points, although you may have many facts that could be used to answer any questions.

Step 6: Submit Critical Thinking Paper

The final paper should be no more than five double-spaced pages, excluding the cover page and references page(s). Organize the paper in accordance with your preparatory steps, using these subheadings:

Title of Paper (centered and bold) There is no heading named “Introduction”

Explanation of the Issue (centered and bold)

Analysis of the Information (centered and bold)

Consideration of Alternative Viewpoints, Conclusions, and Solutions (centered and bold)

Conclusions and Recommendations (centered and bold)