This is a book worth reading. Michael Kallet provides an easy-to-follow framework which will help you improve your critical thinking skills. Reading the full version will provide you with many more applicable insights into how to think critically and make more effective decisions.
Michael Kallet has designed a simple and easy-to-understand framework for critical thinking. The three stages of passing through are Clarity, Conclusions and Decisions.
One of the reasons problems go unsolved or solved incorrectly is that nobody understands or has clarity over the issue.
Clarity involves defining a problem and determining what the end result should be. Imagine this example, “We need to improve quality”. On the face of it seems pretty straightforward, but upon looking at it further, there are multiple forks where things could be perceived differently. People may ask, does it mean that every item has to be of higher quality, or does it involve reducing the scrappage rate? If you were looking to gain clarity over the problem, you would redefine the problem to “We need to reduce our scrappage rate to less than 10 units per 10,000”.
Now, this isn’t entirely our fault; the systems we work under tend to avoid emphasizing clarity. If you were asked what you have achieved at work and replied, “I’ve thought a lot”, then it would not go down well, and there is also no satisfaction from adding things to lists, only removing them.
But the paradox is that spending a little bit more time thinking and trying to understand a problem will pay dividends.
In the book, Kallet presents 11 different methods to provide clarity. I have picked three of my favorites and summarized them below. Check out the full version, as they are critical for gaining clarity.
According to Kallet, the decision-making process should be the easiest and quickest if you have correctly followed the critical thinking framework. These stages will overlap, however. Before making rock-solid conclusions, some of these factors will need to be considered to aid the conclusion process.
When making the final decision, you should consider these factors:
1.Who makes the decision?
The person responsible for making the decision will depend on your conclusion. Before you invest too much time into the details of the conclusion, get an early read from a decision-maker concerning any considerations about your conclusion.
2. Is there a need?
You need to ensure there is a need: There are so many things that need to be done; if there are many other essential things, then it’s likely lower priorities won’t be approved. There is limited time, money and resources, so if there is no need for it, that will influence your decision.
This book is a must-read. We encourage you to get the complete book and read more about it. This book is sure to leave no stone unturned regarding the questions you might have.
Happy reading!