Critical Thinking and Groupthink: Analysis and Application - Module 3

This assignment analyzes the article "3 Simple Habits to Improve Your Critical Thinking" by Helen Lee Bouygues, focusing on critical thinking and groupthink. The student summarizes the article, discussing key issues like questioning assumptions, reasoning, and diversifying thought. The solution explores ways to improve critical thinking, prevent groupthink, and contrasts critical and creative thinking. The assignment includes examples and references to support the arguments presented, offering insights into applying critical thinking principles in leadership and business contexts. The student addresses the importance of critical thinking skills for leaders, employees, and students, and how it can be improved by adopting simple habits.

Running head: CRITICAL THINKING AND GROUP THINK
Critical Thinking and Group Think
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
1. Questions.....................................................................................................................................2
a. Summary and the main issues......................................................................................................2
b. Ways to improve critical thinking...............................................................................................4
c. Ways to prevent people from engaging in groupthink.................................................................5
d. Critical thinking vs. creative thinking.........................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................7

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1. Questions
All the below-listed questions will be answered by referring to the article "3 Simple
Habits to Improve Your Critical Thinking”.
a. Summary and the main issues
Summary
Helen Lee Bouygues, the author of the article “3 Simple Habits to Improve Your Critical
Thinking” uses his personal experience to guide people on the art of critical thinking skills. The
author in this article discusses three very useful and simple habits to enrich critical thinking
skills. Since, critical thinking skills are important for the different groups of people such as
researchers, employees and students, these should be dealt with strategically to develop effective
thinking on a situation. The three simple habits discussed in the article are as mentioned below
(Bouygues, 2019):
1. Question assumptions
Making assumptions for the question should come at the right time or else the significance of
question assumptions might be lost. A shopkeeper selling cosmetic goods should figure out the
set of suitable questions regarding its customer needs and wants of the cosmetic, while making
the supply orders. This would help the shopkeeper order the in-demand items only. The rolling
of stocks in this way would ensure that items get sold in quick times. The consequence benefits
of this strategy can be easily understood. The shopkeeper will be able to manage a good flow of
cash, which is necessary to stock both the current and new items.

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The same goes for academic researchers. In order to conduct research, researchers need
to figure out a set of questions to carry research on these. The use of relevant questions should be
made while submitting a proposal for the research work. The concerned person will check the
questions carefully and approve it for the thesis work if found relevant.
2. Reason through logic
The reasoning mistake can drag a firm into a problem situation. The reasoning should be done
strategically. Bouygues (2019) highlighted a very good example in his article to state the
common mistake made by people and groups in regard to reasoning. As mentioned in the article
"3 Simple Habits to Improve Your Critical Thinking", a lingerie selling company had mistaken
with reasoning due to being over-generalized on it. The retailer had assumed that the taste and
preference for lingerie are the same everywhere in Europe. However, the fact is pretty different.
In fact, there is a huge difference in the preference for lingerie in people of Italy and the United
Kingdom.
3. Diversify thought
Bouygues (2019) states that people should try to develop diversified thoughts into them to
become thinkers. It is very easy to find and live in a group having a similar thought process.
However, it is pretty difficult to go beyond this and do things in a different manner. According to
the author, one should try and meet people of different socio-cultural groups to get acquainted
with their thought processes and gain better insights.

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Main Issues
1. The use of question assumptions is often a misunderstood concept. The group of people
or companies often make mistakes with assuming questions;
2. People do not use logic while reasoning a situation or making a business decision;
3. People generally possess a limited thinking approach in choosing a group or community.
They are least comfortable interacting with people from diverse groups and communities,
job ranks and so forth (Bouygues, 2019).
b. Ways to improve critical thinking
Critical thinking as according to the article “3 Simple Habits to Improve Your Critical
Thinking” can be attained through great mixing of three simple habits. These habits are question
assumptions, reason through logic and diversify thought. Question assumptions for sure are a
very good way to make the right decisions; however, it is difficult to develop expertise in
identifying the correct set of questions. This is a potential barrier to framing a relevant set of
questions (Cottrell, 2017).
Making reasons through logic is a good approach to critical thinking. It can help to sort
out critical and long-pending issues. There are high chances to be successful with correct
reasoning skills as the process of reasoning is developed on valid pieces of evidence. However,
the expertise needed and the investment required for accessing the valid pieces of evidence can
make it a difficult act for those with limited funding resources (Bronkhorst et al., 2019).
Diversify thought can be beneficial in developing a broader view of the subject.
However, it is more suitable for those who have good control of their temper and can take

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differing things with maximum tolerate. Those who are less tolerant of conflicting thoughts be
better away from merging with people having diversified thoughts to avoid the possible conflict
(Young, Haffejee & Corsun, 2018).
c. Ways to prevent people from engaging in groupthink
Groupthink means selecting people of similar nature and thought processes. Groupthink
affects the immunity level of a person to make good decisions and pose greater arguments to a
fact or something (Kaba et al., 2016).
Engaging in Groupthink can be avoided in many ways as shown in the article “3 Simple
Habits to Improve Your Critical Thinking”. An accountant, for example, can change its thinking
level by interacting more frequently with marketing people. Similarly, senior staff can go to
lunch with the junior staff as well as managers to access their diverse thinking and get acquainted
with these. Training oneself this way can help the individual escape its usual thinking habit and
gain better insights. In a team setting, individuals should be given the opportunity to put forward
their independent thought of a subject or thing (Bouygues, 2019).
d. Critical thinking vs. creative thinking
Critical thinking is not really the opposite of creative thinking; however, is different in
the purpose. Critical thinking compels one to think about an existing situation or else in a critical
manner. On the other hand, creative thinking is about generating something new like an
innovative idea or something else (Paul & Elder, 2019). For example, identifying an innovative

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solution for a problem such as related to customer relationship management is creative thinking.
Contrary to this belief, think strategically about a customer relationship management strategy to
identify its flaws is an act of critical thinking. Similarly, the idea to launch electric vehicles and
automated vehicles is the creation of creative thinking. However, the concept of these vehicles is
the creation of critical thinking. Critical thinking has compelled the leaders from the automotive
industry, the automobile engineers and so forth to reach these solutions on the environmental
challenges of the automotive industry (Dewanto, Agustianto & Sari, 2018).

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References
Bouygues, H. (2019). 3 Simple Habits to Improve Your Critical Thinking. Retrieved 22 March
2020, from https://hbr.org/2019/05/3-simple-habits-to-improve-your-critical-thinking
Bronkhorst, H., Roorda, G., Suhre, C., & Goedhart, M. (2019). Logical Reasoning in Formal and
Everyday Reasoning Tasks. International Journal of Science and Mathematics
Education, 1-22.
Cottrell, S. (2017). Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Dewanto, W. K., Agustianto, K., & Sari, B. E. (2018, January). Developing thinking skill system
for modelling creative thinking and critical thinking of vocational high school student.
In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 953, No. 1, p. 012115). IOP Publishing.
Kaba, A., Wishart, I., Fraser, K., Coderre, S., & McLaughlin, K. (2016). Are we at risk of
groupthink in our approach to teamwork interventions in health care?. Medical
education, 50(4), 400-408.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2019). The nature and functions of critical & creative thinking. Rowman
& Littlefield.
Young, C. A., Haffejee, B., & Corsun, D. L. (2018). Developing cultural intelligence and
empathy through diversified mentoring relationships. Journal of Management
Education, 42(3), 319-346.