Think Smarter E-Book

Michael Kallet

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 314

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Train your brain for better decisions, problem solving, and innovation Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills is the comprehensive guide to training your brain to do more for you. Written by a critical thinking trainer and coach, the book presents a pragmatic set of tools to apply critical thinking techniques to everyday business issues. Think Smarter is filled with real world examples that demonstrate how the tools work in action, in addition to dozens of practice exercises applicable across industries and functions, Think Smarter is a versatile resource for individuals, managers, students, and corporate training programs. Thinking is the foundation of everything you do, but we rely largely on automatic thinking to process information, often resulting in misunderstandings and errors. Shifting over to critical thinking means thinking purposefully using a framework and toolset, enabling thought processes that lead to better decisions, faster problem solving, and creative innovation. Think Smarter provides clear, actionable steps toward improving your critical thinking skills, plus exercises that clarify complex concepts by putting theory into practice. Features include: * A comprehensive critical thinking framework * Over twenty-five "tools" to help you think more critically * Critical thinking implementation for functions and activities * Examples of the real-world use of each tool Learn what questions to ask, how to uncover the real problem to solve, and mistakes to avoid. Recognize assumptions your can rely on versus those without merit, and train your brain to tick through your mental toolbox to arrive at more innovative solutions. Critical thinking is the top skill on the wish list in the business world, and sharpening your ability can have profound affects throughout all facets of life. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills provides a roadmap to more effective and productive thought.

Leseprobe

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Section I: Introduction and the Framework for Critical Thinking

Chapter 1: What Is Critical Thinking?

Benefits of Critical Thinking

Chapter 2: When to Use Critical Thinking

Chapter 3: The Framework and Tools

Clarity

Conclusions

Decisions

Section II: Clarity

Chapter 4: Empty Your Bucket

The Bucket

Getting Started with

Emptying Your Bucket

Chapter 5: Inspection

Getting Started with

Inspection

Chapter 6: Why?

Why

Why?

Ask

Why

to Distinguish

This

from

That

Ask

Why

to Get to a Root Cause

Ask Why to Get to “I Don’t Know”

Ask Why to Get to Because!!

Getting Started with

Why

Chapter 7: So What?

So What:

Your Company or Product

Your

So What

Getting Started with

So What

Chapter 8: Need

What Is the Necessity?

Great Teams and Need

Need and Survival

Getting Started with

Need

Chapter 9: Anticipatory Thinking

What’s Next?

Getting Started with Anticipatory Thinking

Chapter 10: What Else?

What Else Could This Be?

Getting Started with

What else

Chapter 11: The Ingredient Diagram

Ingredients of Your Headscratcher

Getting Started with the

Ingredient Diagram

Chapter 12: Vision

What Is Your Vision?

Getting Started with

Vision

Chapter 13: The Thinking Coach

The Role of a Thinking Coach

Why Be a Thinking Coach?

Examples of a Thinking Coach

If You Have the Experience, Why Not Communicate That?

Ten Rules of a Thinking Coach

Getting Started with

Being a Thinking Coach

Chapter 14: Summary of Clarity

Clarity: Getting Clear about Your Headscratcher

Getting Started

Practice

Clarity: Not about Solving the Problem

When Am I Done with Clarity?

Can I Use Critical Thinking by Myself and Not with a Group?

Section III: Conclusions

Chapter 15: It’s All about the Premise

Deduction

Induction

It’s All about the Premise

Chapter 16: Facts

Facts

Are Absolute Truth

Use

So What

with Facts

Fact or Not Fact?

Chapter 17: Observations

Observations Are Abundant

Chapter 18: Experiences

Your Experiences

So What?

Chapter 19: Beliefs

Beliefs

—Your Value System

When Beliefs Are Different

Chapter 20: Assumptions

Assumptions Are Key

Chapter 21: The Conclusion

Creating the Premise

The Stronger the Premise, the More Reliable the Conclusion—and the More Confidence You’ll Have in It

Jumping to Conclusions

Where Do Personalities Fit In?

Which Conclusion Is Right?

Getting Started with

Conclusions

Chapter 22: Credibility

How Credible Is the Premise?

Credibility of Facts and Observations

Why Do People Lose Credibility?

Getting Started with

Credibility

Chapter 23: Consistency

The Consistency of Your Premise Components

Getting Started with

Consistency

Chapter 24: Triangular Thinking

Estimating the Unknown

Getting Started with

Triangular Thinking

Chapter 25: Change

The Premise and Change

Helping People Accept Change

Getting Started with

Change

Chapter 26: Influencing and Persuading

Using the Premise to Influence

Using the Premise to Persuade

Maybe You Need to Be Persuaded?

Getting Started with

Influencing

and

Persuading

Section IV: Conclusions and Innovation

Chapter 27: Outside-the-Box Thinking

Ask

What If

and

What Other

Getting Started with

Thinking Outside the Box

Chapter 28: Abductive Thinking

An Educated Guess

Old Dog Thinking

Knowledge with No Experience

Old Dog Thinking Cures

Getting Started with

Abductive Thinking

Chapter 29: Impossible Thinking

Thinking about How to Accomplish the Impossible

Getting Started with

Impossible Thinking

Chapter 30: Summary of Conclusions

Creating Solutions

Getting Started

Sorry, You’re Not Quite Done!

Section V: Decisions

Chapter 31: Who, Need, and When

Whose Decision Is This, Anyway?

Need, Again!

When Does This Decision Need to Be Made?

Getting Started with

Who

,

Need

, and

When

Chapter 32: Criteria

Without Criteria, Nothing Is Decided

Getting Started with

Criteria

Chapter 33: Risk

What’s the Risk?

11 Risk Factors

Using the 11-Factor Model

What Is Too Risky?

Getting Started with

Risk

Chapter 34: Summary of Decisions

Taking Action

Getting Started

Are We Done Yet?

Critical Thinking Summary and Suggestions

About the Author

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

Figure 3.1 The Three-Step Critical Thinking Process

Figure 3.2 Automatic versus Critical Thinking

Figure 3.3 The Critical Thinking Framework

Figure 4.1 A Filled Bucket

Figure 4.2 An Empty Bucket

Figure 6.1

This

and

That

Figure 6.2 The Root Cause

Figure 11.1 Distance to Gas Fill-Up—Ingredient Diagram

Figure 11.2 Productivity Ingredient Diagram

Figure 15.1 The Conclusion Process

Figure 21.1 The Conclusion Process

Figure 24.1 Estimating a Schedule with Multiple Perspectives

Figure IV.1 The World of Conclusions (Solutions)

Figure 27.1 The Box

Figure 27.2 The 9-Dot Puzzle

Figure 28.1 Strong Inductive Reasoning at Work

Figure 33.1 Evaluating Risk

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Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

think smarter

Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills

Michael Kallet

Cover image: ©tumpikuja/iStockphoto

Cover design: Michael J. Freeland

Copyright © 2014 by Mike Kallet. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Kallet, Mike, 1953–

Think smarter : critical thinking to improve problem-solving and decision-making skills / Mike Kallet.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-118-72983-0 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-118-86435-7 (ebk);

ISBN 978-1-118-87125-6 (ebk)

1. Problem solving. 2. Decision making. 3. Critical thinking. I. Title.

HD30.29.K35 2014

658.4'03—dc23

2013044790