Critical Thinking Application Paper

Using critical thinking skills in any situation can only help the person personally as well as in a managerial type position within an organization. Often people who manage others have a hard time breaking away from the feelings aspect and are unable to rely on the critical thinking skills that could and probably would produce better results in the long run. This paper will delve into critical thinking when it comes to making sound work related decisions and the importance of doing so to ensure the survival and growth of any organization.

A person who manages with their emotions are less apt to see an entire picture of any scenario as they are unable to get beyond their own feelings about anything of importance and it normally makes for an employees nightmare due to the fact there is little to no respect that has been earned by the manager, hence things that are needing sound decisions are often mangled and leave an awful mess that is very hard to fix.

“In order to think critical one must apply this skill into his/her everyday life and not allow emotions to over-rule the issue, but to look at the problem/challenge critically. One way to describe critical thinking would be to think of a gem of sorts that has been cut by a master jeweler. If you look at this gem there are many facets, this is exactly how someone who utilizes critical thinking would look at the task at hand, this person would look at all aspects and take each aspect into careful consideration prior to making a final decision. Critical thinking helps us ask relevant questions, weigh evidence offered in support of arguments, interpret complex problems, and make wise decisions. This is especially important when you realize that many problems do not lend themselves to clear-cut solutions.”(Bacal, 2007)

While working for Civil Engineering it was the normal occurrence to spend money, spend it wisely and quickly, often trying to spend money prior to the commander taking it for his little projects. Being the Chief of Material Acquisition, much importance was placed to make the right decisions on purchases in an expedient manner. Choosing not to think critically and following protocol in the beginning wasted a disgusting amount of government dollars. After this experience, much more attention was paid on finding the best priced item that would meet the same expectations as CE required, no matter if it was the same manufacturer or one that was different but could perform in the like manner required. The ability to think critically in this work situation and passing this knowledge to others who were being supervised was an invaluable asset to the US Military, who are often known to waste money frivolously. Attention to detail and much critical thought is now practiced daily, saving immense money every time an order is placed if possible.

Thinking soundly and critically normally comes from past experience, it is often said that one can not learn from other people’s mistakes, but from that of their own, and it is shown time and time again when watching friends