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
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.
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?
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
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37. Assess to Develop Skills and a Training Intervention
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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
Recognize Assumptions -- discern facts from opinion; identify when an information gap exists Evaluate Arguments – evaluate the merits of information that is presented Draw Conclusions that are logical and reasonable, given the siutation