Critical Thinking in Work Practices

Critical thinking refers to the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do in any situation. It helps you create knowledge and evidence-based solutions to problems you can encounter in the workplace. Most, if not all, organisations see critical thinking as an essential skill because it helps the organisation save time and money in the long run, but there can be challenges, for example:

• It can be time-consuming to gather facts that are necessary for making a critical decision.
• It can be frustrating sorting fact from fiction and considering each source of information.

However, today, organisations are more likely to hire people equipped with critical thinking skills because these skills help employees solve problems and find strategies to assist them in becoming more skilled at their jobs.

This topic will discuss how critical thinking can be established in the workplace. It will explain the key characteristics of critical thinking, evaluate situations in which critical thinking concepts can be applied in work practices, and articulate benefits when applying critical thinking processes.

Critical thinking is the process of evaluating factual evidence and analysing thinking. Critical thinking includes effective problem-solving, objectivity, open-mindedness, curiosity, unbiased analysis, interpretation, inference, teamwork and communication skills such as asking thoughtful questions.

It also involves self-disciplined and corrective thinking. While information plays a big role in the critical thinking process, critical thinking is not just about memorising information. Critical thinkers know how to use available information to their advantage. They can provide systematic solutions to problems they may encounter anywhere in the world.

Before we go any further, let’s define some terms related to critical thinking.

Key terms and definitions

The following table provides some key terms and definitions. Recognising them is necessary so you can work through this module. You may want to create a personalised glossary of any unfamiliar terms for future reference.

Critical thinkers often make the best decisions when it comes to communicating information and completing tasks in the workplace. They can think outside the box and use facts when dealing with problems. They are also able to weigh all the possible solutions to a problem before making a final decision.

Importantly, critical thinkers make logical and informed decisions to the best of their ability. In order to become a critical thinker, that is, a free thinker, you will need to be patient, self-disciplined, and make time to develop these skills.

Watch

What is critical thinking?

Duration: 2.30

Questions

Pre-Watch Question: To learn more about what is and what isn't critical thinking, watch this short YouTube video. Where do you think your level of critical thinking is?

Post-Watch Task: Note down what you are doing well and where you can develop further your critical thinking skills.

Critical thinking processes

Critical thinking is a skill that is useful throughout your life. To improve your critical thinking skills, you must first learn about the key critical thinking processes. There are several ways to learn the key critical thinking processes. Among these methods, Bloom’s Taxonomy best describes how critical thinking processes can be used in your daily life.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy framework was developed by Benjamin Bloom in 1956 and revised in 2001. It is a framework created to provide a common language for educators and used to teach critical thinking. Each level depends on the one below and is often drawn as a pyramid, as illustrated below. In other words, moving from lower-order thinking skills (for example, remembering) to higher-order critical thinking skills (for example, creativity).

Unpacking Bloom’s Taxonomy

1. Remembering (lowest level)
   This skill involves remembering facts and basic concepts. Here, you may name, write, and describe the information you have read or heard.
   Example: Michelle demonstrates to Ding Yao the process for completing mental health assessment forms. She explains that the assessment forms must be completed accurately and securely to maintain client confidentiality. Michelle emphasises the importance of meticulous completion of the forms and the significance of following the established work practice. A week later, Michelle asks Ding Yao what steps are involved in completing the mental health assessment forms and why it is important to maintain confidentiality and accuracy when filling them out.
2. Understanding
   Your brain takes in information through a series of steps. You can understand whatever is being discussed by linking each piece of information given and forming a general idea out of it. It involves understanding what the critical thinking task or idea is communicating and having the ability to transform it into one's version.
   Understanding involves describing, classifying, and interpreting concepts or ideas. This level focuses on constructing meaning from different sources of information.
   Example: Ding Yao misplaces a classified assessment document. She shows remorse as she understands the importance of this document for a client who is undertaking a mental health assessment.
3. Applying
   This skill involves applying learned information to new situations. Here, you can apply the knowledge you learned in classrooms, books, workplace training, the internet, to concrete situations. You can also organise your thoughts and develop questions that may help you find answers to your problems.
   Example: Ding Yao understands that confidentiality is crucial when working in community service. When Ding Yao visits her friend, who works in another community service company, she reminds herself not to mention clients' names or any personal information. She knows that if she does, this could be a breach of confidentiality.
4. Analysing
   Here, you will be analysing your ideas and drawing connections between them. This skill allows you to differentiate your ideas from one another and distinguish their different characteristics. It allows you to break information down into more manageable parts and relate each part to another.
   Example: Ding Yao can see the links between a community service organisation with a solid reputation that provides quality service for a reasonable price, their services expanding and the possibility of a permanent job for her.
5. Evaluating
   Evaluating involves justifying your decision through the information and ideas you generated in the previous skills. It is the process of making judgements on the value, credibility, or strength of thoughts and ideas. Being impartial and objective is important in evaluating as it helps you avoid biases in decision-making and helps you weigh the pros and cons of each option before making a choice as well. This skill comes before creating because it focuses on reviewing the skill before using it to create something new.
   Example: Ding Yao’s traineeship finishes soon. Although she hasn’t been offered a permanent position, Ding Yao has been asked to stay on as a casual with Ace Services. Ding Yao is confident she will be offered a permanent position because Michelle and the other mental health support workers have taken on more clients than they expected. As a result, they have requested a full-time position to be made available.
6. Creating (highest level)
   The revised Bloom’s Taxonomy refers to this skill as the highest form of learning. It focuses on creating new work or putting together learned information in a new way. This may involve organising, designing, and developing original works or processes.
   Example: Michelle asks Ding Yao, her new trainee, if she could look at the current procedure for trainees and develop a dedicated procedure for mental health support worker trainees.

As mentioned earlier, critical thinking takes time and patience. You can not expect to become a critical thinker overnight. To become a critical thinker, you must first learn about the different critical thinking concepts and techniques. As described in the key terms and definitions table, concepts are abstract ideas or general notions that occur in the mind, speech or thought. Examples of critical thinking concepts include:

• conceptualising
• applying
• analysing
• synthesising
• evaluating information.

These concepts are applied by observing, reflecting, experiencing, reasoning and communicating as a guide to belief and action.

The qualities of clarity, accuracy and logicalness are also important concepts and will be discussed in more detail in this topic.

How to apply critical thinking techniques in the workplace

Critical thinking techniques can be applied at work and in any situation or employee position. It is applicable whenever people solve problems or make decisions. Critical thinking allows you to address and understand a situation based on facts and available information. It also allows you to see the bigger picture and piece information together. Each person in an organisation makes countless decisions daily, and these decisions can make or break deals, impact results, and hamper agreements.

Examples of four critical thinking techniques are outlined below.

Key critical thinking concepts

Because critical thinking has such a huge impact in the workplace, three of its key critical thinking concepts merit discussion here. They are clarity, accuracy and logicalness. The following table defines each and provides an example.

Watch

Clarity – Motivational Video

Motivational video on practising clarity

Duration: 3.56

Questions

Pre-Watch Question: Do you practice clear thinking?

Post-Watch Task: What have you learned from the video to help you think with more clarity?

Tips for communicating your thoughts and ideas clearly

USE PLAIN ENGLISH

Using plain English helps you convey your message as you are using language considered to be clear and concise and avoiding jargon and uncommon vocabulary unless it is relevant. Plain English refers to language phrased simply enough that a layperson can understand.

ARTICULATE

Being articulate is having the ability to speak fluently and coherently. It helps to get your message across because you are speaking clearly, articulating your words, projecting your voice and not speaking quickly.

THINK BEFORE SPEAKING

Remember to think about what you are going to say before you say it. It is easy to make mistakes when you say things without thinking. Make sure to check for the validity of the information you are conveying (facts and evidence) so your message is correct and understood by others.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

You will need to adjust your language depending on who your audience is. If you are communicating with a colleague, you are likely to use jargon and technical terms to communicate your thoughts and ideas.

AVOID UNNECESSARY JARGON

Jargon can get in the way of clear communication and can be difficult for people who are not in that profession or group. It can be riddled with industry acronyms and colloquialisms, which makes it difficult for outsiders to understand. Using jargon doesn't make you sound smarter!

Using Bloom's Taxonomy critical thinking skills at work

Earlier in this topic, you were introduced to the revised Bloom's Taxonomy thinking levels. We will now go through, in detail, the three highest-order levels that critical thinkers follow.

ANALYSING

Analysing is the third-highest-order thinking in Bloom's revised model. Analysis is the separating of thoughts and ideas into different parts. These parts may include an idea’s strengths and weaknesses, different possibilities, etc. To further understand this critical thinking approach, refer to this example:

Ace Services sends out client feedback forms after the end of year tax period. You are keen to know more about clients' knowledge and skills using digital technologies to collaborate and whether they would use social media for accounting purposes if offered by Ace Services. You, as the manager, will then analyse this feedback and use the information obtained to develop improvements that will cater to your clients’ needs.

Analysing the feedback obtained and developing improvements may include thinking of different possibilities and studying the strengths and weaknesses of each option.

EVALUATING

Evaluation is the second-highest-order thinking in Bloom's revised model. Evaluation is making judgements on the value, credibility, or strength of thoughts and ideas. It includes obtaining information from credible sources. Being impartial and objective is important for evaluation so that the proper judgement can be made. You may gain a better understanding of how evaluation and critical thinking go hand in hand by continuing the example provided on Ace Services clients' levels of digital technology usage, including social media.

After obtaining information on your survey questions, ask yourself the following questions:

• Did you obtain your information from credible sources?
• Did you consider all possible perspectives while researching your topic?
• Do all your points connect to each other?
• Are your ideas relevant to your topic?
• Are your opinions on the topic the same before and after you researched it?

These are but a few questions you can ask to evaluate the work you have done on your topic. Always ensure to evaluate your work based on the credibility of your sources and the content of your research.

CREATING

Creativity is the highest-order thinking level in Bloom's Taxonomy's revised version. It focuses on creating new work or putting together learned information in a new way. In the same example, from Ace Services, an example might be:

You decide to put together a proposal for introducing new digital technologies and increasing social media opportunities for clients.

Steps for carrying out an evaluation

Evaluations help you assess situations and work practices (formal or informal) where critical thinking is applied. They also help you become more aware if anything needs to be improved or changed. The following table describes a simple five-step process used to evaluate a situation at work or elsewhere. You will notice that critical thinking underpins this process. Evaluation is making judgments on the value, credibility, or strength of thoughts and ideas.

Now we have identified the key characteristics of critical thinking, the evaluation process and looked at examples of where critical thinking and evaluation are used at work, we will discuss further the benefits of critical thinking to you, your colleagues and clients.

• It encourages you to observe different situations and weighs all possible results before making a decision: As mentioned before, the best decisions always involve weighing the pros and cons of each option before deciding. Considering all the possible results, factors, and scenarios can help you analyse each situation. After determining the alternative that has the most advantages, you may then make the best decision.
• It looks beyond a specific step in the decision-making process: Applying critical thinking practices in the workplace includes looking towards the future when making decisions. Critical thinkers do not just focus on the information or the steps provided. Instead, they look beyond what is provided and think of ways on how each step can be improved.
• It brings new ideas to the table and promotes creativity: Critical thinking makes you think outside the box and go beyond your comfort zone. It also helps you create more creative approaches to a variety of scenarios. This includes imagining possibilities, connecting ideas, and applying these ideas by generating solutions. Creativity will always be useful in critical thinking. This is because critical thinking deals with generating ideas, weighing alternatives, and making decisions.
• It helps you move past the familiar or routine: When gathering your thoughts and making decisions, the first things one usually thinks of usually lean towards the familiar or routine. By applying critical thinking to the decision-making process, you learn to think of new solutions to old problems. You will not be stuck classifying anything under something that has happened in the past.

Workplace examples

Let us look at two examples where critical thinking has been applied to a work practice.

Summary

In summary, critical thinking is an invaluable skill in the workplace due to its ability to enhance problem-solving and decision-making processes.

While challenges may be associated with gathering relevant facts and discerning reliable information, organisations recognize the importance of critical thinking in saving time and resources in the long term.

Today, employers prioritize hiring individuals with strong critical thinking skills, empowering employees to solve problems and develop effective strategies for improved job performance.

By establishing critical thinking in the workplace, organizations can foster a culture of innovation, evidence-based decision-making, and continuous improvement, ultimately leading to increased productivity and success.

Key points

• Critical thinking encourages you to observe different situations and weigh all possible results before making a decision.
• Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a common language for educators and promotes higher forms of thinking.
• There are six key thinking levels in the revised Bloom's  Taxonomy. The levels move from lower-order thinking to higher-order critical thinking and are remembering (lowest), understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating and creating (highest).
• Critical thinking plays an important part in the workplace, especially when you are solving problems and making decisions.
• Critical thinking makes you think outside the box and go beyond your comfort zone. It also helps you consider more creative approaches to a variety of scenarios.
• Critical thinking techniques allow you to address and understand a given situation based on facts and available information.

The critical thinking process plays a significant role in any setting. It is applicable whenever you are required to solve problems, make decisions or create and share new concepts and ideas. As an employee, you may be required to follow a critical thinking process to improve or resolve problems with work practices. It helps you look beyond what is expected of you. Staff from all levels of an organisation may have well-developed higher-order critical thinking skills and be well-placed to problem-solve. Higher-order thinking is not exclusive to professional staff, supervisors, team leaders or managers.

This topic covers the seven steps for leading a critical thinking process. We discuss how to analyse existing and proposed work practices and identify their limitations (problems or issues) using critical thinking techniques. We also discuss how information sources (such as employee feedback and surveys) can be used to develop solutions. Next, we will consider how to use decision-making frameworks for prioritising tasks. Finally, we will learn how to develop and present a proposal to stakeholders for resolving a work issue.

This topic works through the following seven steps.

1. Analyse a work practice
2. Identify workplace and work practice limitations
3. Locate information sources to help you decide on possible solutions
4. Find solutions for work issues or workplace limitations
5. Develop a proposal for solutions using a decision-making framework and organisational policies and procedures
6. Present ideas for solutions
7. Justify your decision

Each step of the process will be covered in detail, and a workplace scenario will be provided to demonstrate the process. The seven-step process can be applied to both current and proposed work practices and workplace limitations. In this module, the scenarios are based on a fictitious company called Ace Services.

Critical thinking techniques can be used to analyse existing and proposed work practices. You will learn about the features of work practices and how you can analyse these. You will also learn about the difference between existing and proposed work practices.

Work practices

Work practices generally refer to the unspoken and unofficial way certain tasks are done in the workplace. They refer to how the collective group does tasks, for example, how employees dress and when lunch breaks are taken. All workplaces have a work culture, which is the mix of an organisation’s leadership, values, traditions, beliefs, behaviours, and attitudes. This can be summarised as ‘the way we do things around here.' This can be confusing for people when what is expected of team members is implied rather than categorically stated. Let us look at two examples.

Work Practices and their Features

The following table provides examples of work practices and their features.

Current and Proposed Work Practices

Knowing your organisation’s current and proposed work practices will help you identify areas you need to focus on. Current work practices refer to those practices that are currently being implemented. For example, the organisation you work for has a practice of supplying homemade cakes and coffee to staff before work on Monday mornings. Monday morning, 'cake and coffee' is a practice that has existed for some years and continues today. Proposed work practices, on the other hand, refer to those that are still in the process of being implemented. An example of this would be if your manager proposed a new work practice that requires you to take 15-minute breaks in the afternoon. This practice is new and has not been implemented yet.

Step 1: Analyse a work practice

The first step involves scrutinising the work practices or practices that currently exist in your workplace and working out why they don't produce the results they should. A question you might ask is: Why is the organisation receiving a high number of complaints?

In Step 1, you:

• list down the work practice
• get a 'feel' for the issue/problem
• document how the problem came to light, for example, via the complaints process
• list the pros and cons of the work practice
• decide who needs to be questioned and what you will ask them
• decide on what information you need. This could include locating relevant work procedures
• identify any trends and patterns in your data, including through statistical tools.

Scenario

The work practice: Ace Services team meetings are held online using Microsoft Teams (group chat or video calls) because staff now work one or two days a week from home. Michelle is not convinced about the effectiveness of online meetings and applies her critical thinking to determine the effectiveness of online meetings. Michelle is aware that some team members are not participating in the group chats, and she wonders if this is because they are not confident using Microsoft Teams. Michelle lists the pros and cons of holding meetings online. She also notes down the trends and patterns she observes (for example, the meetings are much shorter than when face-to-face). Michelle speaks with team members to ask their opinions. She also writes down a list of questions for stakeholders (for example, the IT staff and workplace trainers) as their feedback will broaden her understanding of the work practice.

After analysing the process, the information you have collected and documented will determine if there are limitations or weaknesses in the work practice or workplace. The second step involves identifying the limitations in the workplace or work practice that negatively affect you and your team’s work performance. Common limitations include:

• lack of policies, procedures or guidelines
• unclear or outdated instructions
• low morale among team members
• faulty computer hardware
• time restraints
• financial restraints
• poor communication between stakeholders.

Techniques to identify limitations in work practices

You will notice some of the techniques outlined below are also referred to in Step 1. That is because we spend many hours each day communicating in one form or another. The techniques mentioned in Step 1 and outlined below are used by critical thinkers.

• Active listening: active listening refers to paying careful attention to the speaker by putting aside whatever is distracting you. Active listening is a commitment and choice you make every time someone speaks with you.
• Asking questions: through the use of open and closed questions, you can achieve an accurate understanding of what is being discussed.
• Considering the perspectives of others: being mindful of those around you and respecting their opinions will help ensure effective communication.
• Identifying pros and cons: a valuable aspect of critical thinking is to compare situations and look at both the positives and negatives of the situation.
• Predicting outcomes: by making predictions, you will have a better idea of what to expect when you make your decision.
• Paraphrasing: repeating what you have understood in your own words. This ensures you understand what is being said.
• Observing non-verbal cues: body language and eye contact can be valuable indicators of an individual being engaged or not engaged in the current situation.
• Providing positive feedback: providing feedback helps motivate the listener, boosts their confidence and shows people you value them.

Watch

Active Listening

Strategies for active listening during a conversation with another person.

Duration: 1.28

Questions

Pre-Watch Question: Do you think you practice active listening when having a conversation with another person?

Post-Watch Question: How can you improve your active listening skills after watching this video?

Scenario

Michelle has identified there are several limitations to holding online team meetings. She identifies the limitations after discussions with her team and other stakeholders. She also read journals about how effective digital and collaborative technology is or isn't for meetings. The limitations she identified include:

• not all team members have a suitable space at home for participating in  online team meetings
• internet connections fail
• online meetings are less dynamic
• online meeting etiquette is not followed by all team members, leading to frustration and anger
• some team members are reluctant to participate - they may be shy or unsure about using technology
• there has been no training for staff on how to effectively use Microsoft Teams
• the quality of equipment is not suitable for team meetings, e.g. sound is unclear
• there is no agenda for the meetings, and therefore, meetings are not as productive.

The third step is to obtain information. After you have identified the root cause of your workplace limitations, you can then begin finding solutions that will address your concerns. Finding effective solutions that will address your problems is not always an easy process. You first must locate information on your work practices before you can brainstorm solutions. Examples of information include:

• feedback from co-workers, customers, clients, volunteers and other stakeholders
• existing workplace policies and procedures, and incident and accident reports
• laws and acts such as the  Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
• suggestion boxes
• complaints
• reports
• public notices.

When you obtain information by conversing with people or holding meetings, interviews and discussions, be mindful that your communication is appropriate. You need to be friendly, listen to what they have to say and be empathetic to avoid being judgmental. Locating information about your work practices will involve identifying the information required and the possible sources you might use. While researching information may seem like an easy task, not all available sources are reliable. Using reliable sources is part of being an accurate, critical thinker. There are two factors to consider when evaluating sources: reliability and relevance.

Questions to obtain reliable and relevant information

A reliable source has accurate content, written by a credible author, updated to current findings, and provides enough information to discuss the subject matter. The following questions can help you obtain reliable information:

• What kind of problem are you dealing with?
• What type of information is required?
• Where will you be obtaining this information?
• How will you be obtaining this information?
• Is the information you obtained based on facts and credible evidence?

A relevant source, on the other hand, must support the topic, contain recent and complete information and provide answers that address the root cause of your workplace limitation.

Information gathering can help create solutions

The information you have researched can help create new solutions to existing limitations or problems in your workplace. The following information can help you create solutions.

• Separating opinions from facts: obtaining information from credible sources can help you separate opinions from facts. It also helps you stay focused on the problem by making sure your ideas are consistent.
• Promoting creativity and critical thinking in the workplace: creating innovative solutions requires creativity and critical thinking. The information you have obtained can also encourage you to brainstorm new ways that may help you solve your problem. It may also help you gain a different understanding of your problem and anticipate the long-term effects of your proposed solutions.
• Providing different alternatives that may help you solve your problem: the information you have researched can provide you with different alternatives that may help you in creating a solution. It can help you analyse the factors that may improve your process. It can also help you identify the root cause of your problem so you can solve it faster.

Scenario

Michelle has gathered information from reliable sources (including team members, colleagues, and Ace Service’s IT department) about the effectiveness of running online meetings with staff who work from home. She has also read a research paper related to this issue. To ensure her information is reliable, Michelle answers the following questions.

• What kind of problem are we dealing with? A technical issue. There are complaints from staff that their internet at home drops out and their providers are unreliable. Therefore, they miss the meetings entirely, or parts of the meeting, and this leads to frustration among the team.
• What type of information is required? Facts such as information from the staff asking them how often their internet drops out in a meeting and for how long each time. Michelle also asks her colleagues if their teams have the same problems and, if so, how they resolved the issue. She speaks with her IT team to learn more about using Microsoft Teams.
• Where will I get this information? From team members, colleagues, Ace Service IT Department, the service provider and a research paper.
• How will I get this information? Through conversations, meetings, phone calls, emails and written documentation.
• Is the information I obtained based on facts and credible evidence? Yes, by targeting specific team members, IT experts, and colleagues and reading peer-reviewed journals and other credible documents.

We have discussed critical thinking concepts. However, it is crucial to know how to develop solutions using the concepts discussed. You can use critical thinking concepts and information from reliable and relevant sources to develop solutions to work practices and workplace limitations. When using critical thinking concepts in developing solutions, ensure that you check for the following:

Refer to the following steps to guide you in developing solutions using critical thinking concepts.

Identify your Workplace Limitation

The first and most essential step to developing a solution to your workplace practices is identifying its limitations. This step is important because it serves as a starting point for your solution. You cannot develop a solution without knowing what you are dealing with or what you want to improve. You must know the details surrounding your limitation and identify factors that make your work practice a limitation. Therefore, make sure to identify the limitations before you develop your solution.

Analyse your Workplace Limitation

This step is important because it involves knowing all the details about what you are trying to fix and fully understanding why your work practice or workplace limitation needs to be addressed. Ensure to analyse your current workplace practice by:

• obtaining as much information as possible about the work practice
• getting a 'feel' for the issue/problem
• documenting how the problem came to light, for example, via the complaints process
• listing the pros and cons of the work practice
• deciding who needs to be questioned and what you will ask them
• deciding on what information you need. This could include locating relevant work procedures
• identifying any trends and patterns in your data, including through statistical tools.

Think of Possible Solutions

There can be countless solutions to just one problem. Always remember to take time to think of all possible solutions and choose solutions that fit together. Think logically of solutions that may address your problem. For example, list down alternatives, enumerate each alternative’s pros and cons, and brainstorm ideas that can improve your alternatives. You can also ask yourself the following questions for guidance.

• Is it feasible? Checking your solution’s feasibility is the first thing to consider when developing a solution. It helps you determine whether you can or cannot implement your devised alternatives. It is easy to overlook this step when you are busy formulating options, but always ensure you remember to check if your solution can be done so you will not encounter problems later on.
• Will it actually solve the problem, or will it create other problems? Some solutions only create even more problems. Determine whether your solution efficiently solves your problem. Your solution should be clear and concise, structured, address your goals, break barriers and be effective.
• Who will be affected by these solutions? Creating an effective solution involves considering the perspectives of the members of your organisation. Always consider who will be affected by your solution so it can benefit as many stakeholders as possible.

Decide which Solution Best Addresses your Workplace Limitation

After you have made a list of all possible solutions, narrow your choices down to the best possibilities. You can continue doing so until you have found the solution that will best address your workplace limitation. Always take time to analyse your options before choosing the best of the bunch.

Scenario

After collecting information, Michelle considers if any of the solutions could cause more problems, and she culls these. Her final solution is to continue with online meetings, as the positives outweigh the negatives. Staff are keen for meetings to be shared between online and traditional face-to-face meetings. However, they would like training in online meeting etiquette, as well as general computer skills training. Michelle has offered to develop guidelines for this work practice.

After you identify your problem and develop your solutions, you can now develop a proposal. Proposals are written to inform stakeholders about your current work practice or workplace situation so that your solution can be considered and implemented. When writing proposals, ensure that they conform to your organisation’s policies and procedures and any legal requirements.

Components of a proposal

Proposals help outline an organisation’s plans for development. It also helps provide information on why an organisation is implementing its plans and what results are to be expected from these plans. Before writing a proposal, check with your organisation for specific requirements when creating a proposal. Requirements may include workplace policies and procedures and legal requirements such as following the WHS Legislation applicable to each state or territory.

Proposals generally have specific components. These are briefly described in the following table.

Complying with workplace policies and procedures and legislative requirements

When it comes to developing proposals, ensure that your proposal is consistent with your workplace policies and procedures and the legislative requirements in your area.

For example, at Ace Service, it is important that employees refer to the Decision Making Policy and Procedure before developing a proposal. This policy describes how to use the Eisenhower Matrix for prioritising tasks and the SPADE Model for decision-making. Employees should also refer to the organisation's style guide, which provides guidance on how reports and proposals are written. This is important because it ensures that proposals and reports have a consistent 'look and feel' and present a consistent brand of the organisation. If disagreements or conflicts occur over the development of a proposal, staff would need to refer to the Conflict Resolution Policy and Procedure.

The Eisenhower matrix

The Eisenhower or Important-Urgent Matrix can help you determine which activities are important and which should be given less importance. The matrix was developed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. His busy schedule led him to invent the Eisenhower principle, which is the basis for the Eisenhower Matrix. Before you develop your proposal, there are two major considerations involved in determining your priorities these are importance and urgency.

• Importance: matters that are vital in enabling you to achieve the goals and objectives you have set.
• Urgency: matters that need immediate attention and action.

• DO FIRST quadrant: these tasks are important and urgent. They require your immediate attention and should not be skipped. For example, submitting projects to a deadline and responding to urgent emails.
• SCHEDULE quadrant: these tasks are important but less urgent and may include scheduling meetings and replenishing supplies.
• DELEGATE quadrant: these tasks are urgent but less important. For example, you may request a team member to attend a meeting instead of you or assign tasks to your teammates who also have knowledge of what you want to accomplish.
• DON'T DO quadrant: in this quadrant, you would place tasks that are not important and not urgent. Some of these tasks may be considered your 'distractions'. Examples that fall into this quadrant might include spending time on formatting an email that is not necessary or procrastinating by surfing the internet for information when you have sufficient to complete the task at hand.

Watch

The Eisenhower Matrix: How to manage your tasks with EISENHOWER

A quick and easy introduction to the Eisenhower urgency-importance matrix, helping time management enthusiasts to prioritize their tasks for reduced stress and increased productivity.

Duration: 2.25

Questions

Pre-Watch Question: The following video on the Eisenhower Matrix provides examples of tasks you might assign to each quadrant. Please note the quadrant descriptors are worded differently from the diagram above. However, the intent is the same.

Post-Watch Task: Note down key points from the video about the Eisenhower Matrix.

The SPADE decision-making framework

The SPADE decision-making framework was created by Gokul Rajaram in 2016. It was designed to help organisations make hard decisions that have real consequences for the company’s well-being. SPADE is an acronym that stands for Setting, People, Alternatives, Decide, and Explain.

This decision-making model involves presenting solutions that are based on the urgency and importance of your tasks. Use the following guide to learn more about the SPADE Framework:

• Setting: The setting establishes the tone for your decision. It informs your stakeholders of your intentions about solving your problem. Your setting has three parts: What, When and Why.
• People: People are the most crucial factor behind a decision. This part of the decision-making framework includes those who give input in the decision-making process, those who approve the decision, and those who are responsible for making the call. This section has three primary roles: Decision-maker, Approver and Consultant.
• Alternatives: This part refers to how your alternatives are presented. Alternatives refer to the solutions you considered in addressing your workplace limitation. You can clearly present and explain your alternatives by creating a proposal. Doing so helps minimise mistakes and misunderstandings in decision-making.
• Decide: After presenting your alternatives in a proposal, it is now time to present your proposal to important stakeholders. It is crucial to include important stakeholders in the decision-making process. Present your findings and ask for their feedback before making your decision.
• Explain: This step discusses your work plan and the impact your planned activities may have. Here, you may explain your alternatives and explain the expected impact of each one. You may also explain why each alternative is important and why a solution is needed to address your problem.

Like the Eisenhower Matrix, the SPADE decision-making framework can also be used to develop proposals that present your selected solution to your workplace limitation. For example, it informs stakeholders of the alternatives you came up with while developing your solution. It also provides you with a means to obtain feedback from your stakeholders about your selected solution.

Scenario

Michelle writes her proposal and asks a colleague to review it to ensure it reads well, is accurate, thorough and convincing. She believes she has covered all components of a proposal and is especially careful to address any work, health and safety concerns that could arise from her proposed solution. However, the reviewer questioned the order in which Michelle prioritised tasks in the work plan. She suggests Michelle revisit her proposal and also read the Ace Service Decision Making Policy and Procedure, which describes the Eisenhower matrix to assist her in prioritising the tasks.

Stakeholders are an important part of the decision-making process. They refer to any group, institution, or individual who has a role or interest in your organisation’s work practices and in developing solutions to address workplace limitations. Click on each of the following headings to learn more about each of these stakeholders.

Presenting your proposal

Writing the proposal is an important step. However, presenting it either physically or virtually (for example, in a Zoom, Skype or MS Teams meeting) is equally important. This is an additional opportunity to present and 'sell' your proposal persuasively. It also allows you to answer any questions and clarify misunderstandings. Feedback may also indicate where you can strengthen your arguments or rationale in the proposal. There are three key components of an effective business proposal presentation

• Content: This is what you will be sharing with the audience so that they can make an informed decision on the merit of the proposal.
• Visual design: This could include any visual materials, such as a PowerPoint presentation, to support the content of your presentation.
• Delivery: This refers to how you deliver the business proposal presentation.

Watch examples of two presentations, one much better than the other. As the coach notes, the written proposal was very good, but the presentation lacked confidence. See how making just a couple of small changes can make a huge improvement to a presentation, making it confident, clear and impactful.

Watch

Presentation skills – how to improve your presentations

Comparative examples of presentations – what not to do and what to do.

Duration: 3.25 minutes

Questions

Pre-Watch Task: Watch two examples of presentations with small changes made to show how small changes can greatly improve it.

Post-Watch Question: What were the key changes made to improve the presentation?

Scenario

Michelle presented her proposal to the management team because she needed their support to fund and implement training. Afterwards, she reflects on her presentation. She feels she lost valuable time in 'selling' her proposal by having to explain the contents of the proposal and asks Robert, her manager, for feedback. Robert suggests that next time, she circulates the proposal before the presentation to allow people time to read and understand the proposal. This will avoid some of the questions. He also suggests that Michelle could inject stories or testimonials into the presentation to bring the proposal to life and explain how it directly benefits staff at Ace Service.

Decision-making will always involve justifying your decisions, especially when these decisions impact the lives of other people. Justification can be defined as:

Something that proves, explains or supports a position or argument.

When justifying your decision-making process to stakeholders, you need to communicate clearly, courteously and not make demands. Your purpose is to convince stakeholders to agree to your decision. In the Problem Description section of your proposal, you explain the issue you wish to address and why it is important. This is where you convince stakeholders to support your decision, so it is important to present a well-written and powerful proposal. You don't need to go into the specifics of your argument in the Problem Description. However, you do need to make a strong and clear persuasive statement or request.

Tips for justifying your decision-making process

The following table has suggestions to help you justify your decisions.

Scenario

At the last Ace Service management meeting, Michelle presented her proposal. Before the meeting, she practised her presentation and wrote answers to questions she thought might be asked of her, for example, the estimated cost to train her team in the use of digital technologies for online meetings. She carefully explained the possible solutions and argued convincingly for her proposed solution. At all times, Michelle remained calm and polite and used active listening. Michelle is quietly confident that her proposal will be accepted.

In summary, the critical thinking process is applicable in various settings and plays a vital role in problem-solving, decision-making, and generating new ideas. This topic focused on the seven-step approach to leading a critical thinking process in the workplace. It emphasised the importance of analysing both current and proposed work practices to identify limitations and issues through the application of critical thinking techniques.

Key points

• When it comes to developing solutions that address a work issue or workplace limitation, aim for everyone to be involved in the decision-making process.
• Stakeholders need to be informed of proposed plans before they are implemented.
• Before you can begin finding solutions to a problem, you must collect sufficient information about the limitations of both the work practice and the workplace.
• Gathering information is part of critical thinking.
• The seven steps for leading a critical thinking process can be applied to current work practices and future work processes.
• Before presenting a proposal to stakeholders, it is wise to reassess your decision.