Critical Thinking Application Paper

Critical Thinking Application Paper

People make critical thinking decisions every day. Critical thinking decisions are made in one’s private lives and often overflow into one’s workplace based on information provided to determine the necessary actions required to make a decision. In this paper, an example of a personal experience in applying critical thinking to a work-related decision as well as the importance and benefits of critical thinking in the decision-making processes will be addressed within this paper.

When analyzing the circumstances within the workplace, consideration in the critical thinking process is important when one is dealing with a workforce. For example, tardiness has been a problem in the office and up until recently the problem had not been addressed.

The three front-line employees generally open the office unless salespeople or the manager arrives first (this is typically not the case). Upon speaking with the three front-line employees, the manager made a horrifying discovery. First, all three front-line employees thought the other front-line employees were there on time to open the door in the morning. Second, each employee had children who either needed to be at the sitter or school before the employee had to be at work. Although continual tardiness is grounds for dismissal, the manager believed that the front-line employees were too valuable for the company to lose. With the information provided by the three employees, the manager came up with an alternative plan that would work for everyone.

The manager first spoke with the three front-line staff individually. Each employee spoke of the anxiety to arrive at work on time with respect to her children’s schedules. The manager also deduced from the conversations that each employee had assistance either through a family member or significant other. Additionally, some days were harder for the employees to arrive at work on time than others. Upon reviewing who had help on each day of the week and which days were good for each person, the manager could generate a new schedule that would reflect one of the three individuals opening the doors to the office on time every day. The manager then gave collective and specific instructions of the new procedure to the entire office.

The new schedule has been in effect for six months. The manager’s decision to work with the three