Upload
emma-taylor
View
219
Download
3
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
COMPONENT SKILLS FOR THEAGILE LEADER
AMEDD C&S CAPTAINS CAREER COURSE
OUTLINE
Critical Thinking Mind-Sets / Mental Models Barriers to Critical Thinking Creative Thinking Exercise Conclusion Questions References
CRITICAL THINKING2-part process:
1) Thinking about thinking
2) Evaluating the results of that thinking
Generates PURPOSE
Embodies a POINT OF VIEW
Makes ASSUMPTIONS
Generates IMPLICATIONS
Utilizes CONCEPTS
Uses INFORMATION
Makes INFERENCES
Raises QUESTIONS
ELEMENTS OF THOUGHT
CRITICAL THINKING MODEL Make decision /
Clarify position / Use judgment
IMPLICATIONS
Requires critical
thinking?
CLARIFY CONCERN
EVALUATION OF
INFORMATION
Impact of biases and traps
Argument analysis
Stimulus requiring judgment
POINT OF VIEW INFERENCESASSUMPTIONS
Egocentric tendencies
NO
YES
EGOCENTRIC TENDENCIESRelatively common in military culture
Egocentric memory Egocentric myopia Egocentric righteousness Egocentric blindness
PERCEPTION: Why Can’t We See What Is There To Be Seen?
PARISIN THE
THE SPRING
ONCEIN A
A LIFETIME
BIRDIN THE
THE HAND
CRITICAL THINKING MODEL Make decision /
Clarify position / Use judgment
IMPLICATIONS
Requires critical
thinking?
CLARIFY CONCERN
EVALUATION OF
INFORMATION
Impact of biases and traps
Argument analysis
Stimulus requiring judgment
POINT OF VIEW INFERENCESASSUMPTIONS
Egocentric tendencies
NO
YES
MIND-SETS aka MENTAL MODELS Patterns of expectations on what to
look for, what is important, and how to interpret what is seen that predisposes thinking to a certain way
Mind-set is akin to a screen or lens through which one perceives the world
Impressions Resist Change
It is difficult to look at the same information from different perspectives
Implications
People form impressions on the basis of very little information, but once formed, they do not reject or change them unless they obtain rather solid evidence
Limit the adverse impact of this tendency by suspending judgment for as long as possible as new information is being received
If information does not fit into what people know, or think they know, they have great difficulty processing it
CRITICAL THINKING MODEL Make decision /
Clarify position / Use judgment
IMPLICATIONS
Requires critical
thinking?
CLARIFY CONCERN
EVALUATION OF
INFORMATION
Impact of biases and traps
Argument analysis
Stimulus requiring judgment
POINT OF VIEW INFERENCESASSUMPTIONS
Egocentric tendencies
NO
YES
Military leaders need to continuously ask themselves the following questions…
Is this something I need to think about critically?How are my point of view and egocentric tendencies
affecting the way I look at this?What’s the point of view of the person presenting the
information?What are my assumptions?Are we making the correct inferences based on the
data provided?Are there data we need to consider and can access?Is the information true or at least plausible?Are the conclusions warranted by the evidence?Are biases and traps affecting our judgment?Have I considered all the implications?
BARRIERS TO CRITICAL THINKINGCognitive Bias
Psychological impediments
Logical fallacies
COGNITIVE BIAS Mental errors caused by our simplified
information processing strategies
Availability Heuristic: likelihood of event assessed by ease with which examples of that event can be brought to mind
Representative Heuristic: make judgment based on how much item represents known item – sample size bias; regression to the mean
Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristic: develop estimates from initial anchor and adjust from there to yield the final answer
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPEDIMENTS
Loyalty, herd instinct, groupthink
Prejudice, stereotypes, scapegoats
Wishful thinking, mirror-imaging, self-deception
Rationalization, denial
Groupthink Symptoms
Illusion of invulnerabilit
y
Belief in inherent
group morality
Collective rationalizatio
n
Out-group stereotypes
Self-censorship
Illusion of unanimity
Direct pressure on dissenters
Self-appointed
mind guards
LOGICAL FALLACIES
Common fallacies in MDMP Appeal to (unqualified) authority,
fear, masses Slippery slope Straw man Arguments against the person False dichotomy False cause Red herring
INTELLECTUAL STANDARDS
CLARITY ACCURACY PRECISION
RELEVANCE DEPTH BREADTH
LOGIC SIGNIFICANCE FAIRNESS
CREATIVE THINKING
Problem-Solving Exercise
MENTAL TOOLS
Questioning Assumptions Seeing Different Perspective
Thinking Backwards Devil’s Advocate
Stimulating Creative Thinking
BLUF: A questioning attitude is a prerequisite to a successful search for new ideas
Problem to Solution
Solution 1
Solution 2
Solution 3
EXERCISE BREAKThis is not a test of intelligence.
EXERCISE RULES OF ENGAGEMENTYou will be asked to answer 2
questions that require reasoningThese are not trick questionsThe information provided is true and
complete – take it at face valueYou will have 60 seconds for each
questionThis is not a test of intelligence – jot
your answers on a piece of paper
QUESTION 1
Each card has a letter on 1 side and number on the other.RULE: If the letter is a vowel, the number must be even. Which card(s) must you check at the minimum to ensure
compliance with the rule?
A B 4 7
QUESTION 2
Rule: You must be at least 21 to drink alcoholic beverages.
Which reveler(s) must you check at the minimum to ensure compliance?
She’s 23.
She’s 19.He’s drinking wine.
He’s drinking lemonade.
EXERCISE RESULTS
•Check the A to see that the number on the reverse is even.
•Check the 7 to see that the letter on the reverse is not a vowel.
•The rule is not violated no matter what number is behind the B or what letter is behind the 4.
•Check the wine drinker to see that he’s at least 21.
•Check the 19 y/o to see that her drink is non-alcoholic.
•The rule is not violated no matter what the 23 y/o is drinking or how old the lemonade drinker is.
CONCLUSION
“Technological advances alone do not constitute change. The most dramatic advances in military operations over history have been borne of ideas – ideas about warfighting, organization, and doctrine. The Army’s most critical asset will not be technology; it will be critical thinking.”
AUSA Torchbearer National Security Report, March 2005
ANY QUESTIONS?
Components Skills for the Agile Leader
REFERENCES Thinking Critically About Critical Thinking: A Fundamental Guide
for Strategic Leaders, Colonel Stephen J. Gerras, Ph.D., Director, Leadership and Command Instruction, U.S. Army War College, 1 June 2006
Psychology of Intelligence Analysis, Richards J. Heuer, Jr., Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, 1999
How Critical Thinking Shapes the Military Decision Making Process, Floyd J. Usry, Jr., LtCol., USMC, Naval War College, 17 May 2004
Critical Thinking Competency Standards: Standards, Principles, Performance Indicators, and Outcomes with a Critical Thinking Master Rubric, Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder, www.criticalthinking.org, 2008
Fallacies: The Art of Mental Trickery and Manipulation, Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder, www.criticalthinking.org, 2008
RESOURCES ON THE WEB Foundations for Critical Thinking –
http://www.criticalthinking.org/ Creativity, Thinking Skills, Critical
Thinking, Problem Solving, Decision Making – http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/awc-thkg.htm
Tools, Techniques, Methods, Quotes on All Matters Creative – http://creatingminds.org/
Online Writing Lab at Purdue – http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/