Leaders’ Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Leaders’ ability to address various crises in an ever-changing environment is crucial for organizational sustainability and growth. In the interest of successful decision-making, leadership should be adaptable and flexible; thus, critical thinking skills can be considered an integral component of effective decision-making. In the military in particular, leaders are expected to be talented critical thinkers and problem-solvers, regularly planning a variety of tasks and inspiring others to take action and attain accomplishments. At the same time, graduates of army education institutions often lack these vital competencies (Ayers, 2016; Emilio, 2000). Considering this gap, the present paper aims to explore the importance of critical thinking and problem-solving skills for leaders. In addition, although these skills may potentially be associated with slowing the document approval process, talented leaders can significantly benefit in such areas as resolving complex situations, strategic planning, and promoting workplace integrity.

To explore the links between critical thinking skills and various military leadership practices (trust development, documentation approval, and strategic planning), high-quality scholarly and professional sources were located using such databases as Google Scholar and ProQuest. Chosen sources included magazine and journal articles, dissertations, and books issued by such credible publishers as Harvard Business Publishing, Army University Press, and others. The eligibility criteria were the relevance to the topic of interest, research depth, and utility of findings.

Discussion

Use of Critical Thinking Skills to Resolve Daily Tasks

Problem-solving and critical thinking are regarded as intrinsic parts of efficient decision-making. According to Williams (2013), “Critical thinking means the ability to construct and defend an argument using reason, applying intellectual standards of epistemic responsibility, and recognizing and countering logical fallacies” (p. 50). At the same time, the main barriers to effective decision-making are perceptual and emotional biases, as well as such phenomena as groupthink or collective thinking, referring to the tendency to agree with the opinion of the majority and to reach consensus. However, Williams (2013) considered that every military leader must engage in the art of skilled argument because this practice allows telling the difference between facts and personal opinions and helps avoid cognitive traps. It is apparent that such features of groupthink as stereotyping, illusions of invulnerability, and overly optimistic attitudes to particular solutions, as well as unquestioned beliefs, increase the chance that a decision will lead to unfavorable consequences. Thus, developing the ability to evaluate these cognitive biases critically provides opportunities to achieve better problem resolution.

In terms of problem-solving, the given competency implies the ability to select appropriate strategies for solving different types of challenges and issues. Megheirkouni (2016) provided a comprehensive overview of important leadership competencies, saying, “Leadership of each type of problem requires different strategies and roles; and brings together the appropriate competency and resources to tackle a known or solvable problem” (p. 641). Overall, this means that well-developed problem-solving skills can help a leader to identify the scope and nature of a problem and mobilize the necessary resources to resolve it.

The identified explanations of problem-solving and critical thinking are consistent with the definition of efficient decision-making provided by Noel, Pierre, and Watson (2017). The authors implied that this capacity involves the ability to make logical choices from available options and to weigh all possible solutions (Noel et al., 2017). Overall, the major benefits of this process and the skills involved in it include “reaching goals, accessorizing values, meeting demands, and portraying proper style and judgement” (Noel et al., 2017, p. 5). Thus, it is essential for military professionals to develop such abilities.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills for Strategic Planning

Decision-making is closely linked to strategic planning. When a leader critically evaluates situations and available choices, the process lends itself to minimizing risks, eliminating adverse factors, and maximizing favorable elements. As such, strategic planning is intended to develop an adequate perception of a problem, set priorities, and assess acceptability, risks, and resources (Megheirkouni, 2016; Noel et al., 2017). All army leaders are engaged in this practice because one of their missions is “to provide the Nation’s policymakers with strategic options” (Ayers, 2016, p. 3). Considering that many complex military and organizational operations involve a wide range of factors and actors, excellent cognitive skills and a broad ability to think are essential. Critical thinking and problem-solving are associated with adaptability to changing situations as well as the capability to synthesize and explain evidence and the methodological and conceptual considerations that underlie judgments (Ayers, 2016). Therefore, these skills can significantly improve the results of strategic planning.

Critical Thinking and Establishment of Trust

Inspiring others and building trust are among the core leadership competencies. According to Megheirkouni (2016), leaders must have “a greater understanding of what psychosocial factors are involved in winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of their subordinates” (p. 643). Similarly, Lundberg (2006) observes that every commander should set a tone and develop a vision that will inspire staff members to act in favor of the achievement of formulated goals. At the same time, to form a vision, it is important to know strategic priorities, organizational values, and mission (Collins, 2001). Therefore, it is clear that a leader should employ critical thinking to identify essential psychosocial factors associated with the team’s motivation and assess internal organizational orientations. This skill can help integrate strategic goals with right values and psychological principles to establish mutual trust with employees and create a motivational workplace environment.

Critical Thinking Skills and Deceleration of Document Approval

Time is usually a factor in evaluating a situation or a particular factor critically because rushed decisions can often be biased and unreasonable. Sostrin (2017) noted that a person who is too quick to react can make “short-sighted decisions” and choose “superficial solutions, neglecting underlying causes” (para. 1). On the other hand, since document approval implies a preliminary assessment of evidence, concepts, contexts, and multiple criteria, the process may be significantly slowed when implementing the full spectrum of critical thinking. This problem can be partly resolved by identifying cognitive biases (such as urgency traps) and setting right priorities (Sostrin, 2017). Therefore, to speed up critical evaluation and the process of document approval, in particular, it is necessary to practice the principles of problem-solving (namely, strategic prioritization) as well as self-awareness and mindfulness.

Conclusion

The research findings reveal that critical thinking and problem-solving are essential parts of effective decision-making. These competencies are helpful in resolving various daily tasks of differing complexity and setting the right strategic direction. They may also help leaders improve the workplace environment, using data gathered through the evaluation of psychosocial factors of employee motivation to build trust. At the same time, the critical assessment process may be time-consuming, possibly decreasing the speed of task completion as a result. Nevertheless, constant engagement in the development of critical thinking skills and problem-solving can help minimize this disadvantage.

The analyzed evidence suggests that critical thinking and problem-solving can significantly benefit military leaders. However, the research has a minor limitation related to sampling. The selected sources are mainly qualitative studies and professional opinions, which means the information presented may be biased and subjective. While the chosen studies meet the scope and purposes of the given investigation, including quantitative studies could increase the credibility of findings.

References

Ayers, R. B. (2016). Optimizing workforce performance: Perceived differences of army officer critical thinking talent across level of education. Web.

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great. Web.

Emilio, G. (2000). Promoting critical thinking in professional military education. Web.

Lundberg, K. (2006).The accidental statesman: General Petraeus and the city of Mosul, Iraq. Web.

Megheirkouni, M. (2016). Leadership behaviours and capabilities in Syria: An exploratory qualitative approach. The Journal of Management Development, 35(5), 636-662.

Noel, L., Pierre, S., & Watson, J. (2017). Critical thinking, decision making and mindfullness. Web.

Sostrin, J. (2017). How to act quickly without sacrificing critical thinking.Harvard Business Review. Web.

Williams, T. M. (2013). Education for critical thinking. Web.

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