Thinking and Decision Making
Critical thinking is imperative in the business world, as well as in one’s personal world. An organization’s leaders must be prepared to make numerous decisions during the lifecycle of the organization. Organizational leaders need to utilize critical thinking techniques effectively when making both short-term and long-term decisions. When considering how the appropriate implementation of critical thinking can enhance an organization’s impact on its stakeholders, it must also be considered how various thinking styles can impact the critical thinking and decision-making processes.
An organization may have multiple leaders, all meeting together to bring about change for their organization. Each individual leader has his or her own unique thinking style, just as each has individual perspectives and perceptions. These differences can, and will, impact the whole process. Thinking styles are as varied as people themselves because even though there are only so many thinking styles, when a unique set of circumstances experienced by an individual are mingled into the thinking style of that individual then the thinking style takes on an individual aspect.
Creative Thinking
A person with a creative thinking style thinks out-of-the-box. That person is looking for new and innovative ideas for the organization. The creative thinker asks multiple questions and examines every aspect of a problem to come up with a unique solution that will inspire innovation in others. (Kotelnikov, 2007) The creative thinker isn’t satisfied with the tried and true means of doing things, but instead thinks to the future and precedes change with change. Creative thinkers are flexible and original. They use brainstorming and star-bursting to help them formulate ideas and solutions. They are not afraid to be original. Creative thinkers are not conformists. They realize that oftentimes others have a negative attitude toward them when it is assumed that...