Module 1 Critical Thinking CF02

Clarity

"We've received numerous complaints from customers about the long wait times. What can the technicians do to reduce them?" Which Universal Intellectual Standard should be applied? Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Breadth, Logic, Fairness, Depth

Precision

"Well, we received 80 complaints in the last 30 days. Out of the 80, 70 of them are focused on long wait times, averaging 45 minutes to an hour and a half. The other 10 complaints are about outdated reading materials in the waiting area. All complaints focused on the longer wait times find it unacceptable; however, 50 suggest the fix action should be adding more technicians. The other 20 say the pharmacy is just too small to handle the large volume of patient prescriptions. According to our internally set metric on patient wait times, the goal is 30 minutes or less. We haven't met this goal since last quarter." If the goal is to get as much information as possible before a decision with details and specific, then which Universal Intellectual Standard is applied here? Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Breadth, Logic, Fairness, Depth

Relevance

"Well, we received 80 complaints in the last 30 days. Out of the 80, 70 of them are focused on long wait times, averaging 45 minutes to an hour and a half. The other 10 complaints are about outdated reading materials in the waiting area. All complaints focused on the longer wait times find it unacceptable; however, 50 suggest the fix action should be adding more technicians. The other 20 say the pharmacy is just too small to handle the large volume of patient prescriptions. According to our internally set metric on patient wait times, the goal is 30 minutes or less. We haven't met this goal since last quarter." If the majority of the problem is the long wait times, then the information about outdated reading materials is which Universal Intellectual Standard to be applied? Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Breadth, Logic, Fairness, Depth

Healthy Skepticism

AFMAN 36-2647 charges you to, "Respond in a proactive manner to unexpected or ambiguous situations, opportunities, or risks; and actively seek information about the new situation." Don't simply accept others opinions as fact. Be fully informed before decisions are made.

Open-mindedness

AFMAN 36-2647, Institutional Competency Development and Management, charges you to "Develop others' and [your] own ideas engaging in mutual problem solving, identifying alternative positions or approaches and evaluating them openly and fairly." Distinguished from Free-Thinking in that it is more about accepting ideas brought to the table by others.

Universal Intellectual Standards

Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Breadth, Logic, Fairness, Depth

Accuracy

How would you know the complaints are actually about the long wait times? "Well, I've read through the complaints and most of them are focused on how long the customers have to wait to get their prescriptions. Many of them find this unacceptable and want something done to fix it. Those that complain suggest we add more technicians and open more windows to reduce the wait times. I've checked the patient wait time tracker and it does show the average wait time has gone up recently." Which Universal Intellectual Standard was applied here? Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Breadth, Logic, Fairness, Depth

High Motivation

Imagine if your supervisor presented you with an issue to resolve, but you clearly needed more information. Natural curiosity to further your understanding and be highly motivated to put in the necessary work sufficient to evaluate the multiple sides of issues. You can overcome the lack of essential knowledge on a subject by doing the research needed to reach a sufficient level of understanding before making judgments. This may require you to ask many questions, which can be unsettling for those that have to answer them.

Depth

In the pharmacy example, it's easy to say, "Let's just add more technicians to handle the large volume of people...that should fix the problem!" However, if you haven't uncovered all the complexities of the issue, how do you know your solution will work? Which Universal Intellectual Standard to be applied? Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Breadth, Logic, Fairness, Depth

Breadth

Inorder to get a full picture of the problem, you need to be able to see it from all sides. "I've talked to all the pharmacy technicians and they agree the wait times have been getting longer in the past few weeks. However, they attribute the problem to time spent answering extensive questions some patients have about their medications. They're also having trouble keeping the shelves stocked with the most commonly used medication, so patients have to wait while they restock. Finally, we have two of the ten technicians preparing to deploy and one completing his PCS out-processing checklist." Which Universal Intellectual Standard is applied here? Clarity, Accuracy, Precision, Relevance, Breadth, Logic, Fairness, Depth

Essential Intellectual Traits (8) of an NCO

Intellectual Humility Intellectual Courage Intellectual Empathy Intellectual Autonomy Intellectual Integrity Intellectual Perseverance Confidence in Reason Fair-mindedness

Intellectual Humility

Let's say one of your Airmen tested for promotion and missed it by one point. He came to you and said he was awarded a medal that wasn't in his records. Sometimes, 'I don't know', can be the wisest position to take on an issue.

Characteristics of a Critical Thinker (5)

Open-mindedness Healthy Skepticism Intellectual Humility Free Thinking High Motivation

Universal Intellectual Standards + Reasoning Elements = Essential Intellectual Traits

Relationship Between the Components of Critical Thinking What is the relationship?

Reasoning Elements (8)

Think about your Purpose (goal or objective) State the Question at Issue (problem to be solved) Gather Information (data, facts, observations, experiences) Watch your Inferences (interpretations, conclusions, and solutions) Clarify your Concepts (theories, definitions, principles, laws, and models) Check your Assumptions Think through the Implications (consequences) Understand Your Point of View (frame of reference, perspective, orientation)

1a. During a discussion with his new colleagues, TSgt DeWitt presents an idea that everyone immediately agrees with. TSgt Prescott says he might need to do some more research before agreeing. TSgt Prescott's comments BEST identify the _______________ characteristic of a critical thinker. a. open mindedness b. intellectual humility c. free thinking

To think freely, you must restrain your desire to believe because of social pressures to conform. You must be willing to ask if conformity is motivating your belief or opinion, and if so, have the strength and courage to at least temporarily abandon your position until you can complete a more objective and thorough evaluation.

Free Thinking

You must be willing to ask if conformity is motivating your belief or opinion, and if so, have the strength and courage to at least temporarily abandon your position until you can complete a more objective and thorough evaluation. Distinguished from Open-Mindedness in that it is more about, restraining your desire to believe the crowd and present other points of view.

3. TSgt Willis has been in personnel for 10 years now. He knows his job well. Some of his subordinates are suggesting innovative ways of changing his processes. He believes he has the right processes in place; however he is willing to listen and explore their inputs. TSgt Willis BEST illustrates the _______________ characteristic of a critical thinker. a. open mindedness b. intellectual humility c. free thinking

a. Open mindedness is a willingness to investigate viewpoints different from your own. Being open-minded means you're 'open' to actively listening and thinking about an idea, solution, or criticism (he is willing to listen and explore their inputs) that, on the surface, you might not normally subscribe to (TSgt Willis has been in personnel for 10 years now. He knows his job well.)...even if you believe your viewpoint is the right one (he believes he has the right processes in place).

1c. During a discussion with his new boss, TSgt Prescott says, "At my old job I was criticized for not always having a willingness to investigate viewpoints different from my own. This new job requires me to consider ideas, viewpoints and even criticisms from others. TSgt Prescott's comments BEST identify the _______________ characteristic of a critical thinker. a. open mindedness b. intellectual humility c. free thinking

a. Open mindedness is a willingness to investigate viewpoints different from your own. Being open-minded means you're 'open' to actively listening and thinking about an idea, solution, or criticism that, on the surface, you might not normally subscribe to...even if you believe your viewpoint is the right one. Although there is some evidence of open mindedness, the scenario best identifies intellectual humility.

4. TSgt Jones says, "Well, we received 100 complaints in the last 30 days. Our focus is on wait times. Out of the 100, 70 of the complaints are focused on long wait times, averaging 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Ten complaints are about the courtesy of our civilian technicians. The other 20 are about the cleanliness of our area. According to our metrics, the wait time goal is 30 minutes or less." TSgt Jones' comments BEST identify the lack of use of the ____________standard. a. relevance b. clarity c. fairness

a. Relevance means to 'weed out' the information that doesn't have anything to do with it. Since TSgt Jones is looking a wait times (Our focus is on wait times) and (According to our metrics, the wait time goal is 30 minutes or less), only the 70 complaints on wait times (Out of the 100, 70 of the complaints are focused on long wait times, averaging 45 minutes to an hour and a half) should be considered. The complaints on courtesy (Ten complaints are about the courtesy of our civilian technicians) and cleanliness (The other 20 are about the cleanliness of our area) are not relevant to wait times and should be weeded-out.

1b. During a discussion with his new boss, TSgt Prescott says, "At my old job I was criticized for always looking at issues as totally accurate or totally incorrect, but this new job requires me to think in terms of amounts of confidence." TSgt Prescott's comments BEST identify the _______________ characteristic of a critical thinker. a. open mindedness b. intellectual humility c. free thinking

b. CORRECT: Having Intellectual Humility means adhering tentatively to recently acquired opinions; being prepared to examine new evidence and arguments even if such examination leads you to discover flaws in your own cherished beliefs; to stop thinking that complex issues can be reduced to matters of right & wrong (totally accurate or totally incorrect) or 'black & white', and to begin thinking in terms of 'degrees of certainty' (amounts of confidence). Also intellectual humility is the Essential Intellectual NCO Trait. Open mindedness and free thinking are Universal Intellectual Standards

2. While mentoring a new employee, TSgt Baker says, "We have a lot of people in our section so we must keep our own prejudices at bay when looking at all of the concerns that come up. I've often had to look at circumstances with exact precision that even resulted in me giving some of our assets back to the wing. I didn't really want to do that, but it was the right thing to do." TSgt Baker's comments BEST illustrate the use of the ____________standard. a. relevance b. clarity c. fairness

c. CORRECT: Fairness implies the treating of all relevant viewpoints alike without reference to your own feelings or interests. Because you may tend to be biased (prejudiced) in favor of your own viewpoint, it's important to keep the standard of fairness at the forefront of your thinking, especially when the situation (concerns) may call on you to see things you may not want to see...like problems you weren't aware of or issues (circumstances) that might make you look bad, or give something up you may want to hold onto...like manning or other resources (assets).

5. TSgt Lenz is being pressured by the other section NCOICs to follow their way of processing different kinds of information that flows from one section to the other sections. He thinks he has a better way of doing things but does not want to upset the other NCOICs. After considerable thought, he musters the nerve to at least momentarily abandon his "adherence" to their processes and do an inquiry of all of the processes currently in place. Because TSgt Lenz _______________ characteristic of a critical thinker, his actions will MOST LIKELY ________________ mission effectiveness. a. misunderstands the intellectual humility; hinder b. understands the intellectual humility; enhance c. misunderstands the free thinking; hinder d. understands the free thinking; enhance

d. To think freely, you must restrain your desire to believe because of social pressures to conform (TSgt Lenz is being pressured by the other section NCOICs to follow their way of processing). You must be willing to ask if conformity is motivating your belief or opinion (He thinks he has a better way of doing things but does not want to upset the other NCOICs), and if so, have the strength and courage (nerve) to at least temporarily abandon your position until you can complete a more objective and thorough evaluation (do an inquiry of all of the processes currently in place). This will most likely enhance mission effectiveness.