Management and Leadership

Critical Thinking

• Traditional Classroom: 1-day
• Virtual Instructor-led: Two 3-3.5 hour sessions; Three 2-hour sessions

Target Audience

Individuals who will benefit from this course include mid-level managers and those who are managers of managers with at least four years of experience managing others.

Learning Objectives

• Define issues clearly, despite incomplete or ambiguous information.
• Link problems and systems to identify and improve underlying strategic issues.
• Analyze the available alternatives for other, more effective solutions.
• Make difficult decisions with more confidence.

Key Takeaways

• Enhance critical thinking and decision-making skills.
• Make better decisions.
• Think and reason differently.
• Apply broad knowledge and seasoned experience to address complex and critical issues.

Course Outline

Module 1: Let’s Get Started

• Exercise: Bad Decisions
• Root Causes and Costs of Bad or Delayed Decisions

Module 2: Critical Thinking

• Critical Thinking Defined
• Setting the Stage: Mindset and Skills
• Exercise: Devil’s Advocate
• Critical Thinking Toolbox
  • Edward de Bono’s Six Hats
  • Richard Paul’s Four Types of Questions
  • Drill-Down
  • Systems Diagram/Argument Map
  • Cause and Effect Diagram
  • Exercise: Raid the Toolbox
  • Exercise: Critical Kaizen

Module 3: Decision Making

• Decision Making Process
• Exercise: Process Drill-Down
• Decision Making Roles and Tools
• Exercise: Take the Wheel for a Spin (Futures Wheel)

Module 4: Risk and Other Challenges

• Challenges to Critical Thinking and Decision Making
• Risk
• Ethics
• Personal Filters
• Interpersonal Dynamics

Personal Action Plan

• Create Your Personal Action Plan
• Appendix: Toolkit

Post-Course Work

• Meet with your manager to review what was learned in the course and your action plan
• OPTIONAL: Group Coaching Sessions

MDI1350-2 Course Code