Critical thinking is simply a way in which an individual skillfully uses the available information, observations, and even experiences to make decisions (McCain, 1991). Critical thinking can thus be described as thinking that is not biased and at the same time is independent thinking which takes into account all the possible options (Goldstein, 1972). People should be critical thinkers so that they can make the right decisions when they are faced with difficult situations.
For example, I have at one point had a chance to use critical thinking in making a very important decision that was used to solve a problem at our workplace. I was working at an Upscale Company where Scott John was the man responsible for dealing with vendors who used to supply needed materials and spare parts to the company. One of the sales representatives from vendors of the company was known as Larry Goodman. It also emerged that both Larry and Scott used to play in the same golf league. One evening, both Scott and Larry went out for a golf tournament. When the two men were out during the round, Scott mentioned to Larry that he was planning to have a vacation in Florida the following month. It was at that instance that Larry paid a lot of attention and told Scott that his uncle owned a condo in the exact region Scott intended to visit. He continued to say that whenever his uncle was out of Florida, the condo used to be rented out. Larry suggested that he was going to inquire from his uncle if the condo would be available the following month so that Scott could rent it. He also told Scott that if the condo would be available, the cost of renting it would be moderate.
Larry told Scott that he was going to organize so that Scott could rent the condo for only $80 every week. Larry further explained that his uncle did not like total strangers to rent his condo. The uncle liked people who were well known to him or his close relatives to occupy the condo since such people could be trusted. In addition, the condo used to be paid for but the uncle was not really interested in making a lot of money from it but just some small amount of cash for maintaining the condo and paying taxes. Scott accepted the offer and started making arrangements for the vacation.
When the vice president of the company learned about the deal between Larry and Scott, he called a management meeting in which Scott was excluded. He explained the scenario to us and requested every one of us to critically think about it and write something about what should be done. The following is a copy of what I gave as my solution to the problem;
‘Accepting incentives and gifts from vendors is a road which will lead a purchasing agent, an engineer, or any other company worker into trouble. Although many incentives may be offered with an intention of building goodwill, some people may offer incentives to build a sense of obligation in the mind and heart of the recipient. We should all be aware of such situations and I think it will only be safe for a company working to accept only small gifts. Small gifts of token value are in most cases given out with no strings attached to them. It will not be fair to declare all gifts to be illegal because some of them are given out in a friendly way without any bad intention. For example, when a sales representative invites a company working for dinner after attending a sales conference or offers a T-shirt with a vendor’s logo, there is no point in refusing such an offer because it is just a token.
However, the use condo in Florida at a reduced rental cost should not be considered as a token gift and the intended recipient should politely refuse. This is one of the big gifts and the people offering them are likely to view them as investments and thus may want something in return. If there is a company policy prohibiting such gifts, the recipient should notify the person offering such gifts that the company’s policy does not allow such gifts. When there is no policy concerning gifts, still the recipient should politely decline the offer.
It is however very unfortunate that our company does not have any policy relating to incentive gifts. I am therefore recommending that the company should come up with a policy on gifts so that all the company’s employees can be well guided. The management of the company should also make sure that the policy is enforced fairly.’
When I handed over my suggestion to the vice president of the company, he was so much impressed with it and even the company management came up with a policy on incentive gifts. From that time, company workers were not allowed to receive gifts which could influence the way they performed their duties. I gave my recommendations by employing critical thinking in the sense that I was not thinking out of anger, favor, or any other emotion.
In conclusion, it is important to employ critical thinking in decision-making because it is the only way of coming up with the best alternative out of very many alternatives (McCain, 1991). Critical thinking helps an individual to properly identify the causes of a problem and thus stop future problems by preventing their causes that are already known.
Reference List
Goldstein, A., (1972). Critical and Creative Thinking: Why Should My Conscience Bother Me? Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc.
McCain, M., (1991). Thinking Like an Engineer: The Place of Code of Ethics in the Practice of a Profession. Princeton: Princeton University Press.