An Introduction to Critical Thinking in Business given on HR.com.

1. Increasing Critical Thinking in the Workplace The Raw Material of 21st Century Success

2. Today’s Agenda

3. The success of your organization depends on the quality of the thinking and the decisions made by everyone in your business. Everyone thinks, but few think critically

4. Lots of people work hard But do they accomplish much?

8. Critical Thinking Defined It is…

9. Critical Thinking Impacts Business

10. Schlitz Loses Its Lead Background : In the 1970s, Schlitz, America’s #2 beer, wanted to compete with Budweiser. Decision : Head of Schlitz Brewing Company, Robert Uhlein, Jr., decided to cut costs in the ingredients used in the beer and to speed up the brewing process. The brew time went from 40 days to 15. Barley malt was replaced with corn syrup. A foam stabilizer was replaced with a cheaper version. Impact : Initial profit was good, but the beer tasted terrible and the ingredients tended to bond together and sink to the bottom of the can – looking like mucus. A reviewer described it as “snot-ridden beer.” Schlitz finally recalled 10 million cans of beer. By 1981, they shut down their Milwaukee plant, and the following year they were sold. A Milwaukee mayor compared it to the sinking of the Titanic.

11. The Beatles Sign With EMI Background : In December, 1961, Decca Records’ executives Mike Smith and Dick Rowe watched a local rock ‘n’ roll band perform in Liverpool. He invited them to audition on January 1, 1962. The group spent two hours playing 15 different songs. Then they went home and waited for weeks. Decision : Finally, Rowe told the band’s manager that Decca wasn’t interested. He said: "Not to mince words, Mr. Epstein, but we don’t like your boys’ sound. Groups are out; four-piece groups with guitars particularly are finished.“ Impact : The group, The Beatles, signed with EMI Records, and started a trend back to guitar bands. The rest is history.

12. Background : In 1981, Universal Studios called Mars and asked permission to use M&Ms in a new film. This was common practice. The director was looking for cross-promotion – he would use M&Ms, and Mars could help promote the movie. Decision : The Mars brothers said “no.” Impact : The film was E.T. The M&Ms were needed for a crucial scene: Elliot, the boy who befriended the alien, uses candy to lure E.T. into his house. Instead, Hershey’s cut a deal to use a new product called Reese’s Pieces. Initial sales had been light. Sales exploded when E.T. became a top-grossing movie. Hershey’s estimated that they would have had to pay $15-20 million for this level of advertising. Hershey’s Sees the Light

13. A 21 st Century Survival Skill We’ve seen bad judgment bring down business giants Enron, Lehman Brothers and AIG. Every business needs to focus on making the right decisions in a complex, rapidly changing environment – with incomplete and imperfect information. Critical thinking is a core survival skill.

14. A Foundation for Key Management Skills

15. Identifying and Developing Good Critical Thinkers

19. Watson-Glaser Users

20. Watson-Glaser Applications

21. Watson-Glaser RED Model of Critical Thinking

24. The Next Generation: Critical Thinking In Schools and Early Workforce

25. “ Everyone agrees that students learn in college, but whether they learn to think is more controversial.” - Wilbert McKeachie Do Students Have Sufficient Critical Thinking Skills?

26. What Employers Say

27. We Have a Critical Thinking Deficit

28. It’s Also the #1 Skill of Increasing Importance

29. Another Survey: Skills “More Important” Now Experienced Workers New Workers SHRM 2007 Survey

31. Framework for 21 st Century Learning

32. Critical Thinking Emphasis

33. Training People to Think Better Is it possible?

35. Critical Thinking Can Be Learned “ There is substantial evidence to show that critical thinking can be improved, especially when instruction is designed to encourage the transfer of these skills to different situations and different domains.” Diane Halpern, 2003

37. Assess to Develop Skills and a Training Intervention

39. The ROI of Developing Skills Productivity (in percent) 0 25 50 75 100 Manager A Manager B 98% 50% Take a manager making $60,000 per year whose daily decisions impact his/her productivity. If training can move this person from average to superior, the ROI is: $28,000 annually per manager 25 managers/professionals = $720,000 annually $28k difference

40. Critical Thinking Drives Professional Success Let It Drive Your Business

41. Questions? TalentLens.com/en/watson ThinkWatson.com Contact Suzan Ramsey at 210.339.8455 or [email_address] to schedule a demo of the Watson-Glaser ™ II Critical Thinking Appraisal