Robert F' Rich

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Problem SolvingandCritical Thinking

• Robert F. Rich
• Institute of Government and Public Affairs
• University of Illinois
• International Institute of Municipal Clerks
• Chicago, Illinois
• May 21, 2009

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Strategic and Critical ThinkingAn Overview (1)

• Once upon a time, in New York City, there lived a
  man and a woman who had separate rent-controlled
  apartments, but their relationship reached a
  point where they were only using one of them. The
  woman suggested to the man that they give up the
  other apartment. The man, an economist, explained
  to her the fundamental principle of this subject
  it is always better to have more choices
  available. The probability of them splitting up
  may have been small, but given even a small risk,
  it would be useful to retain the second low-rent
  apartment. The woman took this very badly and
  promptly ended the relationship.

• To what extent was the mans reaction a
  strategic or rational decision?
• To what extent was the womans reaction
  strategic or rational?
• What criteria are being employed by both actors?
• (This scenario is adopted from Games of Strategy,
  Dixit and Skeath, 2004)

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Strategic and Critical ThinkingAn Overview (2)

• You are sharing an apartment with one or more
  colleagues. You notice that the apartment is
  nearly out of dishwasher detergent, paper towels,
  cereal, beer, and other items. You have an
  agreement to share the actual expenses, but the
  trip to the store takes time. Do you spend your
  time shopping or do you hope that someone else
  will spend his, leaving you more time to finish
  some work you brought home or simply relax? Do
  you go and buy the soap and other items or stay
  in and watch TV to catch up on your favorite
  shows?

• What criteria do you use to make the decision?
• How do you see this problem?
• How should it be seen from the perspective of
  your colleagues living with you?
• (This scenario is adopted from Games of Strategy,
  Dixit and Skeath, 2004)

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Illustrative Definitionsof Strategy

• Strategy is analyzing the present situation and
  changing it if necessary. Incorporated in this
  is finding out what ones resources are or what
  they should be.
• Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management, 1954
• Strategy is the determination of the basic
  long-term goals of an enterprise, and the
  adoption of courses of action and the allocation
  of resources necessary for carrying out these
  goals.
• Chandler, Strategy and Structure, 1962
• Strategic management is defined as the set of
  decisions and actions resulting in the
  formulation of strategies designed to achieve the
  objectives of the organization.
• Pearce and Robinson,
• Formulation and Implementation of Competitive
  Strategy, 1982

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Strategic and Critical Thinkingin Context

• Tactical thinking a part of our everyday lives
• Long-term thinking and planning something we
  always do and are familiar with
• Strategic thinking How do I get from here to
  there?
• Critical thinking What are the assumptions
  behind what I read or heard?

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Illustrative Definitions ofCritical Thinking

• Critical thinking means correct thinking in the
  pursuit of relevant and reliable knowledge
• Focus deciding on what to believe or do
• Ability to think for oneself and reliably and
  responsibly make those decisions that affect
  ones life
• Problem solving skills that result in reliable
  knowledge
• Question To what extent should critical thinking
  be encouraged by society? What are the
  consequences of having a large number of critical
  thinkers?

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Characteristics ofa Critical Thinker (1 of 2)

• Uses evidence skillfully and impartially
• Organizes thoughts and articulates them concisely
  and coherently
• Distinguishes between logically valid and invalid
  inferences
• Suspends judgment in the absence of sufficient
  evidence to support a decision
• Understands the difference between reasoning and
  rationalizing
• Attempts to anticipate the probably consequences
  of alternative actions
• Understands the idea of degrees of belief
• Sees similarities and analogies that are not
  superficially apparent
• Can learn independently and has an abiding
  interest in doing so

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Characteristics ofa Critical Thinker (2 of 2)

• Applies problem-solving techniques in domains
  other than those in which learned
• Can structure informally represented problems in
  such a way that formal techniques, such as
  mathematics, can be used to solve them
• Can strip a verbal argument of irrelevancies and
  phrase it in its essential terms
• Habitually questions ones own views and attempts
  to understand both the assumptions that are
  critical to those views and the implications of
  the views
• Is sensitive to the difference between the
  validity of a belief and the intensity with which
  it is held
• Is aware of the fact that ones understanding is
  always limited, often much more so than would be
  apparent to one with a non-inquiring attitude
• Recognizes the fallibility of ones own opinions,
  the probability of bias in those opinions, and
  the danger of weighting evidence according to
  personal preferences

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Connection between Strategy and Critical Thinking
and PowerIdentification of Strategic Issues
Strategic Issue Identification

• What are the desired outcomes in the short-run
  and in the long-run?
• What factors will help us in reaching our desired
  outcomes?
• What factors will constrain us or hold us back?
• Factors which will help represent opportunities
• Factors which constrain represent threats
• Issues facing my organization

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Connection between Strategy and Critical Thinking
and PowerIdentification of Strategic Issues
Characteristics of Strategic Issues

• Longer time horizon
• Larger resource commitment
• Wide scope/depth of impact
• Novel
• Higher risk or threat
• Decision required at highest level of the
  organization
• External actors are important factor in choice of
  action
• Internal value conflicts and dissensus
• Problem doesnt suggest a solution

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Shortcomings in Strategic Planning

• It is often linear
• Overemphasis on a product
• Overemphasis on gimmicks (e.g., mission
  statements)
• It is not viewed as an ongoing tool for
  management
• It is done to an agency and not for an agency
• It does not adequately take history into account
• Stakeholder analysis is not performed
• It often overlooks the importance of team
  performance
• It is not integrated into budget development
• It is not connected with performance review

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Connection between Strategy and Critical Thinking
and PowerIdentification of Strategic Issues

• What are the major strategic issues facing your
  city in the next three to five years?
• What actions can be taken to respond to these
  issues now?

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Critical Thinking ExerciseApplying Critical
Thinking Guidelines

• The following are some guidelines for critical
  thinking
• 1. Ask questions be willing to wonder.     
• 2. Define the problem.                       
        
• 3. Examine the evidence.                       
• 4. Analyze assumptions and biases.
• 5. Avoid emotional reasoning.
• 6. Dont use either/or thinking or
  overgeneralize.
• 7. Consider other interpretations.
• 8. Tolerate uncertainty.

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Each of the statements below violates at least
one of the guidelines for critical thinking. On a
separate sheet of paper identify the guideline
that was violated and give a brief explanation
for your choice.

• A political editorial supporting severe penalties
  for the production and sale of pornography
  pointed out that all societies are repressive to
  some extent, and that it was Freud who pointed
  out that repression is the price we pay for
  civilization.
• 2.   Since we have never been visited by
  extraterrestrials, and have had no communication
  from outer space, we can safely assume that
  intelligent life exists only on our own planet.
• 3.   It is pretty obvious that smoking marijuana
  causes people to crave more potent drugs, like
  cocaine and heroin. Statistics show that almost
  all the people who become addicted to drugs
  smoked marijuana before they began using more
  potent drugs.
• 4.   Jezebel bought a bottle of pain reliever
  because a TV commercial claimed that most
  hospitals prescribe it.
• 5.   Youre either for us or against us.
• 6. I get disgusted with my science classes. We
  study the principle of this and the theory of
  that. Arent there any laws? Why cant
  scientists make up their minds and stop acting
  like they dont know anything for sure?
• 7.   People tend to become forgetful as they get
  older. This is just one of the natural
  consequences of aging, and it would be a waste of
  time to look for specific causes or ways to
  prevent the problem.
• Continued on next page

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• 8.  People of different ethnic backgrounds just
  cant live harmoniously in the same neighborhood.
  Almost everyone Ive talked to thinks the same
  way. This is a gut feeling, and we arent likely
  to be wrong.
• 9.   The increase in violence by adolescent gangs
  in this country is just another result of the
  liberal thinking that has more sympathy for
  criminals than for their victims.
• 10. Why are the people in this class so much
  better looking and intelligent than people in
  other introductory classes?
• 11. You can tell that Alice is a lot smarter than
  her brother. She wears those thick glasses and
  has a high forehead.
• 12. A mother was trying to dissuade her son from
  marrying a girl he had met just three weeks
  before. The sons response was But I know shes
  the one the first time I saw her I began to
  tremble and see spots before my eyes, and I had
  flutters in my chest and strange sensations in my
  stomach. When Im with her, I feel like I could
  just take off and fly.
• 13. I looked at several issues of the Journal of
  Parapsychology, a periodical that publishes
  research on psychic phenomena. Every article
  confirmed the existence of ESP, so I dont
  understand why most psychologists are skeptical
  about it.
• 14. Lets just make up our minds and buy one or
  the other of the houses. Im tired of thinking
  about it, and all this investigation and
  indecision is making me nervous.

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Critical Thinking Exercise

• A chief of detectives had three likely candidates
  for an opening in his department.
• To test their powers of reasoning, he pulled out
  a red and black marker and told them, "I am going
  to either make a red or black mark on each of
  your foreheads. At least one will be black.
  Without any help other than your own reasoning
  skills, I want you to determine the color of the
  mark on your own forehead. The first to do this
  and give me a satisfactory explanation at how you
  arrived at a conclusion will get the job."
• He then blindfolded the candidates and proceeded
  to put a black mark on each of their foreheads.
  After he removed the blindfolds, the three stared
  at each other for a few seconds, each seeing that
  the other two marks were black, then one of the
  candidates said, "I have a black mark.
• How did the candidate arrive at this conclusion?

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Political Influencesthat Have Shaped the
Pastand Will Shape the Future (1 of 2)

• Voter apathy
• Citizen alienation I cant make any difference
  anyway
• We do not have a sense of community
• We want to blame others and not take a sense of
  personal responsibility
• Lack of civic pride
• We dont want our children to go into politics

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Political Influencesthat Have Shaped the
Pastand Will Shape the Future (2 of 2)

• Regionalization/Consolidation
• Continued development of public-private
  partnerships
• Continued pressure to increase governmental
  performance and increase the effectiveness of
  management
• Continued economic pressure
• Growing concerns over public safety
• Is there a need to trade off civil liberties with
  public safety?

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Conclusions

• Continued importance of local government
• How politics facilitates and impedes leadership
• How leadership affects politics
• Who will be the leaders of the future?
• What are the major leadership attributes that we
  need in the future?
• Vision
• Strategic management
• Courage
• Critical thinking skills
• Passion and Commitment
• Communication skills
• Integrity and Moral Mentoring