Overview
The Critical Thinking Community attributes to Linda Elder a definition of
critical thinking proposed in 2007. Elder states that critical thinking is
"self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the
highest level of quality in a fair-minded way. People who think critically
consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically."
Fair-mindedness, complemented by rational decision-making in a reasonable
manner that emulates empathy, is a characteristic any employer would be lucky
to have in all of its employees.
Human
Resources
An example of critical thinking within the context of human resources
involves an employee relations specialist responsible for conducting workplace
investigations. The decision whether to suspend or terminate an employee
alleged to have engaged in sexual harassment must be based on critical
thinking. Fact-finding interviews, witness statements and the assessment of
witnesses' credibility are self-guided and self-disciplined methods that can be
used to deduce whether the employee's actions or behavior constitute sexual
harassment. In addition, identifying the effect a suspension will have on the
employee and his performance, as well as the employees he manages, are other
considerations that require the use of critical thinking processes.
Marketing
Using Elder's definition of critical thinking, public relations, sales and
marketing employees utilize their critical thinking skills in making decisions
related to the public perception of the company and the company's products and
services. For example, packaging a product that appeals to certain population
groups based on stereotypical assumptions isn't generally a good marketing
tactic. However, using marketing techniques that create widespread appeal,
regardless of the target market's ethnicity, gender or other characteristics,
can prove to be beneficial for the company and may result in the product being
accessible to a broad range of customers. For example, a car advertisement that appeals predominantly to women buyers may need to avoid any stereotypical images to enable the product to appeal to a broader consumer base. Thus, marketing professionals must use critical thinking skills to examine their branding concept from a perspective that eliminates gender in advertising the car's features. For example, if the car is eco-friendly, that feature could serve as the advertisement's focus rather than gender.
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