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Critical thinking as a practical approach for decision making

EQF LEVEL (INTERNAL REFERENCE): 4

 

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Introduction: 

Expected Learning outcomes:

By the end of this learning unit, you will be able to analyse, evaluate and improve your own decision-making process. 

 

Content: 

Making decisions can always make you nervous. It hardly matters what position you hold in an organisation or how experienced you are. However, the ability to make decisions is also a crucial skill to move up the career ladder. Of course, we all make decisions all the time, sometimes smaller and sometimes bigger ones. For example, what film to watch next, where to invest, where to shop, etc. In professional life, it happens that we are more intransigent when it comes to making decisions. This can be related to different aspects. For example: 

What is helpful to overcome possible fears and to be able to make decisions more confidently are practical approaches to decision-making processes. There are many different approaches, but most of them involve six sequential steps, which are presented here:

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  1. Identifying the problem area: First of all, you should be clear about the problem area or the issue that requires a decision. It can be helpful here to formulate a concrete question. The clearer and more precise the question is formulated, the more it will help you to make a decision in this regard. 

 

  1. Gather & Analyse information: The previously defined problem or question must be precisely understood by you. Decisions made without sufficient information usually do not lead to a satisfying result. When enough information has been collected, the available data should be analysed and also interpreted. This step requires critical thinking skills - the information must be critically analysed and processed.

 

  1. Establish Goals: A crucial step in making a decision is to define the goals. What goals are you pursuing with the crucial problem? Think not only of the overall goal, but also of the sub-goals that need to be achieved to get to the main goal.

 

  1. Seek Alternatives: There are usually several approaches for one concern. This also means that the more strategies you develop, the more likely it is that you will find a suitable measure that will also have an effect. In this step of the decision-making process, you draw on your knowledge and experience. It is important to consider the individual consequences when choosing alternatives. Finally, decide on the option that is most likely to achieve the desired result.

 

  1. Implement the selected strategy: Once the decision has been made to adopt a suitable strategy, it is only a logical conclusion to implement it. If, for example, the decision is made by a manager, it is important to know that he or she is also responsible for the outcome. This also means that they should retain a certain degree of control over the implementation. Clear guidelines and solid communication processes between the leader and the team should be in place.

 

  1. Evaluate Outcomes: The last step of the decision-making process is the evaluation of the results. It is important to check whether the desired results were achieved with the decision or not. Not only to evaluate the effectiveness of the decision, but also to learn from it.

 

If you realise that your decision was not effective, you should review the steps again: The following should be considered: 

 

Bibliography:



TEST (4 ITEMS - ONE FOR THE FINAL TEST AT SKILL LEVEL) 

Type (underline what applies - variety is appreciated): 

 

 

 

 

NOTES (IF RELEVANT):

 

 

 

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