Peer Response Assignment: DUE Sept. 8th, 2018 at 23:00 military time!!!Students are expected to actively participate in the in the forum discussion. A minimum of 2 substantive participation posts (175
Peer Response Assignment: DUE Sept. 8th, 2018 at 23:00 military time!!!
Students are expected to actively participate in the in the forum discussion. A minimum of 2 substantive participation posts (175-250 words) is required to earn full participation points.
Guidelines for student forum discussion/participation:
-Select a fellow student's response and compare and contrast your thoughts with theirs;
-Advance the conversation; provide a real-world application and experiential examples;
-Conceptually discuss your key [most significant] learning insight or take-away from the selected forum topic comments.
-Responses should be a minimum of 175-250 words, supported by at least one reference outside of the textbook, either supporting or refuting the position of the author of the forum topic response or peer response.
Discussion Forum Prompt: Analyze critical thinking and creative thinking processes and identify the uses for each within an organization.
Response #1
In order to think critically – the person doing the thinking must have the ability to remove themselves from the situation and analyze any problem through an unbiased lens. In order to be a successful critical thinker, a person must be able to repeat this process over and over again, no matter what the decision is at hand. The beauty of critical thinking is that it does not require someone to be super smart or above average intelligence, it just requires them to follow a process, “critical thinking isn’t about making people smarter; it’s about using a set of tools and techniques to think in a more effective manner” (Kallet, 2014). One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is removing your biases from the thought process. All humans are naturally biased, and it is impossible to block those biases from your thought process, but if we can learn to recognize them, understand them, and then remove them from our thought process – we can still be critical thinkers. “You cannot be completely impartial, but you can be aware of the components of your partiality and how they influence you” (Kallet, p.7).
While successful critical thinkers are good at removing their biases from the thought process, a creative thinker will harness their biases and use those to come up with the best possible decision for the current situation. “Creativity is affected by ones environment, personal traits, difference in experience, thinking process and other traits (Zeng et al. 2010). Our own biases are really what drive the creative thought process in each individual’s own mind. Someone who spent their entire life living in Michigan is going to have different experiences than someone who has lived in China their whole life. Their thinking about any issue is going to be vastly different.
As with anything in life, there is a time and a place for critical and creative thinking. Sometimes it is best to use these in conjunction with each other, sometimes it is best to think critically, sometimes to think creatively, and sometimes to simply not think much at all about a decision and just move on. Kallet tells us that we need to use critical thinking when the results are really important and we have to make a sound decision, “use critical thinking when the outcome makes a significant difference in your business or personal situation” (Kallet, p 10.). Many people are going to use creative thinking when they need to solve a problem they haven’t encountered before or are trying to do something that could be considered “off the wall” a bit.
Often times, when we are coming to a big decision, we will have to utilize a combination of both critical and creative thinking. We will use creative thinking to brainstorm ideas, come to possible conclusions, or propose possible solutions, after we have a few ideas, we can then analyze, or think critically, about each one to see which idea has the most merit and is most likely to be successful.
References
Creative thinking. (2010). Teaching History, (140), 2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/759964943?accountid=40195
Creative Thinking. (2009, September). Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(2), 45. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/apps/doc/A209406827/ITOF?u=lom_davenportc&sid=ITOF&xid=9a15e9f
Kallet, M. (2014). Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making skills (pp. 2-20). Hoboken NJ: Wiley.
Response #2
Critical Thinking and creative Thinking
Critical thinking is an objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgement. Often people form opinions based on what they have read in social media or on a news reporting website without validating the information. The posted information may or may not be true. That is why many schools and libraries are getting involved with teaching people how to use critical thinking when judging posts. Critical thinking will require purposeful, self-regulatory judgement and it considers evidence, context, conceptualization, and criteria. Many countries are teaching people about media literacy so that the people won’t share inaccurate information (Fisher, 2018). Posting, sharing, or publishing inaccurate information about a person or their company can damage their reputation, destroy their business and preventing growth and sustainability; most of all it can lead to law suits. The CEO of Chobani yogurt, Hamdiulukaya sued Radio host, Alex Jones for linking him to a sex scandal (Fisher, 2018). Many people had believed what they heard on the radio about the Chobani CEO and founder. These people didn’t apply critical thinking skills to help them determine what is false news and what is true.
I view creative thinking as “thinking out of the box”. Creative thinking is to look at a situation or problem and come up with a fresh perspective that suggest unorthodox solutions.
Critical thinking and creative thinking both are very important to a company’s success. These skills are necessary for a company’s growth. For instance, a CEO could be facing a huge deficit due to theft of goods, but if the CEO use creative thinking to solve the problem theft, then he could maybe increase sales, prevent the theft and save the company. For example, if commodity that is in popular demand and that will most likely be stolen, can be placed behind the counter or in a locked display case. Therefore, the only persons who can access the products are authorized persons. In this way creative thinking helps the company.
When it comes to critical thinking, the radio host Alex, should have critically thought about his source of information prior to reporting it and he would have avoided being sued. The lawsuit cost the radio company financial lost and probably their reputation. This is why both critical and creative thinking is important skills that can be used in any company.
Due to the changes in global economics, Jean-Claude Marcourt got creative and created Creative Wallonia (Atkins, 2012). Marcourt’s goal was to safe guard jobs and increase growth via creativity. Through his creative ideas, he has stopped relying on the traditional way of doing business and began to create links between networks of people in the industry (Atkins, 2012). Marcourt brought together high schools, universities and local companies to buy into the idea of creative Hot spots called ID Campus. The government of Europe funded these ID Campuses, which is the educational aspect of Marcourt’s plans for restructure. ID campus is used to train youth and educate the public. (Atkins, 2012). By being creative Marcourt was able to help rebuild his business and the European economy at a time when his business was failing, and the economy was struggling.
During a 2015 NFL game played by the new England Patriots and the Ravens, the Patriots used a very creative play that ended up working in their favor and they won the game. The Patriots were losing the game and their coach realized that he had to do something that is legal but different and out of the box if he wants to win the game. So, he became very creative and strategized a plan to win by having 6 eligible receivers on the field but only 5 were eligible and the one who was in ineligible only had to report to the referee that he was ineligible (Volin, 2015). By using this strategy left players uncovered and confused their opponent. The Patriots creativity paid off and they scored a touchdown and eventually won the game. In this way creative thinking was used to advance a team to the next round. Creative thinking can be used in so many ways to fix a problem, win a game, and advance a company.
References:
Atkins,W. (2012). Regions: Europe – creative thinking. Foreign Direct Investment, Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1022285055?Accounted=40195
Fisher, S. (2018). Instruction on critical thinking gains a foothold in academia. The Idaho Business Review,Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1990241092?accountid=40195
Volin, B. (2015). Creative thinking. Boston Globe, Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1644330852?accountid=40195
Response #3
Critical thinking, as we understand it, is purposeful, self-regulatory judgment that results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, in addition to explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, or contextual considerations upon which the judgment is built (Avad, 2010). Critical thinking is an in-depth and conscious method of evaluation and determination that is essential to successful business. This form of thinking can be used in a variety of different ways which includes, but is not limited to, the following: setting goals (short-term and long-term), evaluating risk, processing data, establishing and maintaining policies and procedures, and allocating resources.
Critical thinking is a common quality amongst business leaders today. These types of thinkers are typically inquisitive, knowledgeable, open-minded, confident, practical, clear, concise, and determined to find solutions and results (Avad, 2010). Having multiple people within an organization thinking critically benefits the company as a whole, as it allows for individuals and groups to see situations from multiple perspectives and gather insight that will aid in finding solutions and making decisions regarding the direction of the firm moving forward.
Creative thinking is a more playful, experimental method of thinking. It essentially fits around the formula: inspiration + knowledge divided by a greater understanding (Creative Thinking, 2017). Creative thinking generates new ideas and innovative changes within the workplace.
Creative thinking, similar to critical thinking, can be used to solve problems and create new ideas within the workplace. Creative people think of valuable and practical ways of doing things (Forbes, 2017). Only it is done in a more unconventional manner.
Social psychologist, Graham Wallas developed a four-step model for taking creative thoughts and placing them into a practical model to harness those thoughts and use them in effectively reaching solutions. The four-step process includes: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification (Forbes, 2017). This is just one example of where creative and critical thinking are formed into one, organized and logical thought process.
Although critical and creative thinking are different, in many ways they are very similar and often inseparable. Lau and Chan (2004); Nimalathasan and Valeriu (2010) state that critical thinking is an instrumental piece of creative thinking, because individuals and groups need critical thinking to evaluate and improve their creative thoughts and ideas (as cited in, Wongpinunwatana et al., 2017). Critical thinking enables groups and individuals to take creative thoughts and apply them to relevant circumstances to most effectively resolve problems and reach solutions.
Each one of these methods of thinking, in their own way, plays a crucial role in organizational success. However, when applied together, each one complimenting the other, firms provide themselves the opportunity to reach optimal performance.
Resources
Ayad, A. (2010). Critical thinking and business process improvement. The Journal of Management Development, 29(6), 556-564. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy.davenport.edu/10.1108/02621711011046521
Creative thinking in business is part of the process. (2017, Feb 19). Springfield News Leader Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1869663362?accountid=40195
Lau, J., & Chan, J. (2004). What is critical thinking? Retrieved May 25, 2016, from http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/citical/ct.php.
Nimalathasan, B., & Valériu, В. (2010). Association between critical, creative thinking and problem solving in accounting researches: an overview. Revista Tinerior Economişti (The Young Economists Journal), 1(14), 7-12.
Shaw, L. (2017). How To Use Creative Thinking In Business. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lyndashaw/2017/03/26/how-to-use-creative-thinking-in-business/#5a611d1576c0
Wongpinunwatana, N., Jantadej, K., & Jantachoto, J. (2017). Enhancing creative thinking in business research classes: Classroom action research. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 17(8), 43-57. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1991591556?accountid=40195
Response #4
Critical thinking is a purposeful method for enhancing your thoughts beyond your automatic, everyday way of thinking. It’s a process that uses a framework and tool set. Creative thinking is a way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions which may look unsetting at first and also something that generates a new idea, insight, or solution through imagination rather than through logic or reason. (Kallet, 2014)
Critical thinking in an organization forces employees and managers to look at a situation and weigh all possible solutions before coming up with a final answer, it can be a long process that requires input from different people within the organization. In an organization there are three kinds of critical thinkers, Native thinkers, Selfish thinkers, and Fair-minded thinkers. Native thinkers believe everything they hear. They don’t bother themselves to think, they rely on those around them to do the thinking. Selfish thinkers are smart but they don’t care about others. They think a lot but only to manipulate people to get what they want, regardless of who gets hurt. Fair-minded thinkers don’t believe everything they hear. They love to learn, ask a lot of questions and care dearly about others. In organization today it is more important to have employees and managers become more fair-minded thinkers because this will help them become successful future decision makers and problem solvers. (Halabi, 2018)
Creative thinking often takes a different approach to problem solving, and when that kind of approach is taken in an organization atmosphere, the outcome can be both rewarding and pleasantly surprising. Creativity is the driving force behind most organizations success. Without creativity every organization would follow the same patterns in marking/promotion, technique, or even the goods and services they may be selling. Creativity is crucial for organizations today, especially when the market is dependent on innovative, breaking technology. Everyone is able to channel creative thinking when put in the right environment. Some people are a little more creative than others, but either way, creative people are extremely important to have in your organization. Creative thinking can ultimately set your business apart from all of the others, making consumers want to have your product and service over others. (Neal, 2016)
Below are four ways you can implement creative thinking in an organization:
Intellectually challenge your employees-Match your employees with problem solving experiences that will help them think and approach problems creatively. Give the employee a certain problem or task and have them solve it in numerous ways.
Create diverse work groups-Diversity allows creative minds to collaborate and solve problems. Employees can listen to different approaches and build their opinions and thinking process off of one another. Working in diverse groups can help your employees further reach their creative capacity.
Freedom of expression-Employees are most creative when they can choose which work methods they would like to use when solving problems. It is important for employees to take breaks from problem solving because this allows the mind to regroup, and creativity can strike up again.
Organizational support-Your organization should praise creativity and allow others to feel as if they can discuss their ideas openly to multiple people in the office.
Allowing your employees to show their creative thinking throughout an organization can enhance self-confidence and motivation. When your team is motivated, they are willing to work harder to help make your organization a success. (Neal, 2016)
References:
Kallet, Michael. (2014). Thinker Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
Halabi, Rawzaba. (2018) Critical Thinking: Become an Exceptional Critical Thinker. Retrieved from https://www.potential.com/articles/critical-thinking/
Neal, Sarah. (2016) Creativity: It’s Important for your business. Retrieved from http://blog.catmedia.com/creativity-its-important-for-your-business
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Response #5
Critical thinking is a way of approaching any subject, content, or problem in which the thinker is deliberate about the process of thinking and reasoning and imposes intellectual standards upon his or her thinking. Creative thinking is the process we use to develop ideas that are unique, useful, and worthy of further elaboration (2010).
Critical thinkers tend to realize the underlying assumptions, and utilize one or few perspectives to solve a problem. They also judge the rationality of ideas by comparing them to a range of varying interpretations and prospective. They do this due to the wide lens that they need to look through when making decisions company wide. Critical thinking isn’t about making people smarter, it’s about using a set of tools and techniques to think in a more effective manner (Kallet, 2014). Creative thinkers often consider rejecting the standard format for problem solving. This means often having numerous perspectives on an issue. These thinkers are not afraid to trial and error, as to where their critical thinking counterparts are more likely to force their solution through.
There seems to be a pretty clear and defined role in the professional workplace for each of these types of thinking. Critical thinking is traditionally used more at the Management and Board level. These are the people that typically look at the high level picture. They are responsible for figuring how multiple units interact and nest with each other within the company. This is a daily interaction as well that is one that projected out both short and long term. Creative thinking is generally done more at the Supervisor and Operator level. These people are the ones that are tasked with putting this critically thought out solution into action. Often times what looks good on paper or what briefs well in a boardroom, doesn’t work well on a production line. The creative thinkers are the ones that come up with on the spot solutions. The solutions are outside of the box, and utilize what resources are on hand to deliver the same product. It takes both thought processes working cohesively to operate efficiently.
That being said, to be a dynamic leader you really need to be able to critically and creatively think at the same time. A Manager needs to be able to quickly assess a situation and come up with a reasonable plan that can be executed in a timely manner. This plan may be creative or it may be done with purpose. It seems that more and more corporations are after a blended leader. To be competitive in this market we need to develop our leaders as dynamic and able to see multiple angles and solutions to any issue that may arise.
References
Critical and Creative Thinking (n.d.). In Problem Solving. Retrieved September 5, 2018,
from http://www.umich.edu/~elements/probsolv/strategy/crit-n-creat.htm
Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural School Psychology. (2010). C. S. Clauss-Ehlers (Ed.),
New York: Springer. Retrieved From http://link.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/
apps/pub/1YWY/GVRL?u=lom_davenportc&sid=GVRL
Kallet, M. (2014). Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving
and Decision-Making skills (pp. 2-20). Hoboken NJ: Wiley.
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