Mgt 350 - Critical Thinking Applciation Paper

Critical Thinking Application Paper

Lynn Vicknair

MGT/350

February 12, 2012

Sonya Ryals

Critical Thinking Application Paper

Critical thinking is the art of thinking in a manner that is critical. This means that prior to making a decision one must inform about possible repercussions and/or outcomes, this is particularly true in the case of both employers and an employees. A decision maker must be willing to "choose how to respond to opportunities and problems on the basis of a simplified and approximate account of the situation (Paul & Elder, 2006).

All organizations experience some sort of problems each day. The key is for the organization to encompass great skills in decision-making. Great decision-makers identify what the core of the problem is before making hasty decisions, gather data by asking questions in meetings and individual calls, actively listens, and records information in some sort of format.

Examples of work-related decision- making

Problem:

The Policy Service and Audit departments are under staffed.

The New Business Department is overstaffed. The problem we were having was we were under staffed in some departments, and over staffed in another; however we have a hiring freeze at the company and weren't able to hire new employee's to fill positions for the under staffed departments.

The employees in the under staffed departments were being overworked and started to resent the employees in the over staffed departments. They were working long hours and resenting the fact that other employees were able to work a "normal" 8-5 workday. As of all the departments, it is my responsibility to determine a course of action. Growing tensions that are beginning to arise within the departments and effectively resolve the issue.

Objective:

Our objective was to utilize the employees we had in the over staffed department by changing their job duties and placing them in the under staffed departments.

1. To do this we had to communicate with each New Business Underwriter and determine which one would be able to handle the transition and be properly trained in a timely manner.

2. Monitor how the other employees in each department are reacting to the

3. Understand what issues might arise after moving a New Business Underwriter to either the Policy Service or Audit Department with a new title.

4. Continue to communicate with the employee, which made the transition as well