Critical Thinking Skills

Critical Thinking in Professional Life & Career Using critical thinking skills in my life as a professional develops my ability to become competent and motivated in my work. Critically thinking, for me, is like thinking "within the box." This means that I get to center my attention towards a problem and find a solution or immediate response to this dilemma.

As a result, I become motivated to work on the decision-making task in the soonest time possible, with the least number of compromises and negative effects on my welfare and the organization I am affiliated with. In effect, I develop competence because of effective decision-making processes I make as a member of the organization. My motivation and competence -- results of my skillful use of critical thinking -- will also be applicable not only in the workplace setting but in my personal life as well.

Thus, whenever I am faced with situations that require decision-making, I am more able and focused to tackle the problem at hand, primarily because I have control and focus on my enhanced critical thinking skills. As was discussed earlier, my use of critical thinking in the workplace setting involves a four-step process: orientation, organization, analysis, and action.

Orientation involves understanding the nature of the problem presented to me, which is eventually followed by the process of organization, where important and pertinent information are gathered or obtained in order to come up with effective solutions to the problem. The analysis phase is also my "think within the box" phase -- that is, I get to focus myself on the problem and look for alternative and effective solutions to it.

Lastly, if a feasible solution was formulated, I take action to it, which resolves the problem in the least time and compromises possible. 3. As a member and leader of the Learning Team, critical thinking is imperative for our team because it allows every member a chance to actively participate in the decision-making process of the team. Through critical thinking, each member is given an opportunity to develop and share his/her ideas and proposed solutions to a particular task that needs to be accomplished.

This practice, i.e., sharing of ideas through the decision-making process, promotes not only effectiveness of the team as a decision-making group, but also in building harmony and unity among the members. Thus, critical thinking encourages the Learning Team to assume both functional (task-oriented) and socio-emotional roles that creates a balance and within the team which have members who have diverse personalities, yet, common goals and aspirations. 4. Implementing primary and secondary research techniques can be accomplished through assignment of roles that are needed for the research.

Members who are skilled in quantitative research techniques should be given tasks that involve the formulation of the research instrument and other tasks that are significant to the development.