Foundations of Effective Thinking

Overview/Description
 Albert Einstein once remarked that "the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." It necessarily follows that you must raise your own level of thinking in order to solve pressing business problems and make effective decisions. In this course, you'll explore how to think about the most critical business skill of all--thinking itself. You'll first learn about the counterproductive thinking patterns and tendencies most people naturally fall prey to. You'll then discover how these largely intuitive tendencies manifest themselves in problem-solving mind-sets and decision-making styles. Finally, you'll take the necessary steps to neutralize ineffective thinking habits and instead practice dynamic and results-oriented thinking strategies. The result? You'll become a better thinker, someone who can apply these new-found techniques to achieve organizational goals within the current climate of great institutional change.

Target Audience
 Executives, managers, supervisors, team leaders, and other business professionals who want to enhance their ability to solve business problems and make effective personal and organizational decisions

Expected Duration
3.5

Lesson Objectives:

Thinking Effectively about Mental Shortcuts

  • recognize benefits of avoiding counterproductive mental shortcuts.
  • identify mental rules of thumb and their descriptions.
  • match thinking traps that affect problem solving and decision making with their corresponding descriptions.
  • analyze the effectiveness of strategies used to productively think through a problem-solving scenario.

    • Overcoming Biases and False Assumptions

  • recognize benefits of minimizing biases and false assumptions when solving problems and making decisions.
  • identify valid statements about the different types of correlation.
  • analyze the effectiveness of strategies used to determine the correlation among variables in a problem-solving scenario.
  • select correct descriptions of attribution-making biases.
  • identify correct descriptions of biases that distort thinking.
  • analyze the effectiveness of techniques used to overcome bias in a business problem-solving scenario.

    • Refining Your Mind-set and Decision-making Style

  • recognize benefits of adopting an effective problem-solving mind-set and decision-making style.
  • match problem-solving mind-sets with their corresponding descriptions.
  • match types of decision makers with corresponding statements.

    • Cultivating the Right Frame of Mind

  • recognize the value of using effective thinking techniques.
  • apply techniques to think critically in a given scenario.
  • select correct descriptions of memory devices.
  • select statements that describe effective thinking habits.


    • Course Number: PD0231