The Importance Of Critical Thinking In The Workplace

Critical Thinking

Throughout our lives we learn to interpret situations in many different ways. Critical thinking is the ability and a skill to use when making careful decisions to approve, refuse, or defer judgment of a claim. In this, critical-thinking is the method of evaluating what others say or write when deciding whether or not to consider and to believe their statement.

Selected Scenario

In manufacturing, mistakes are sometimes made in promoting a person. For example, in my field a Plant Superintendent with twenty years of service may be made Plant Manager of his/her plant. After serving for a year in this new capacity, the person may have demonstrated clearly that they are incompetent in administrative affairs. But, by that time, their former position will have been filled. Consider the various ethical considerations involved both in retaining them or firing them, and decide what course of action and what

conditions would be the most ethical solution for the company” (Ruggiero (2015), Section IV, Thinking Critically, Pg.158).

Moral Responsibilities/Failings/Obligations/Outcome
A plant manager’s job is a balance between having job satisfactions and being constantly challenged.

It's a hard occupation, and like all jobs, there are individuals who are simply not cut out for it. There are definite characteristics of being a plant manager that many individuals just do not have. Besides the apparent professional qualifications needed to become Plant manager, there are many traits that great Plant managers should possess to be able to do their job efficiently.

A good plant manager must have very good qualities in areas such as: “leadership”, “people skills”, “fairness” to employees and leadership staff, setting high “expectations” for both, have “organizational skills”, being a very good “listener”, being a “lifelong learner”, a “strategic thinker”, and must be a “visionary”. If a plant manager lacks any of these qualities, then it could be said that he/she is not living up to what the job requires and not living up to the responsibilities and obligations of his/her

position.
In the case of my selected scenario, since the plant manager was promoted to his/her position and found not qualified by the company or corporate board, then the company has a duty to reinstate the former manager to his/her previous position. If the previous position is not available, then he/she should be retained in other capacities within the company until such position is available. The superintendent was promoted into being the plant manager of the plant and whoever promoted this manager should also be responsible for his/her incompetence for making the judgement in the first place. It would be morally wrong and irresponsible of the corporate board to fire the plant manager since he/she was not hired into the position.

Conclusion
The link between critical-thinking and ethics is there are no common or rigid guidelines concerning the use of ethics in different situations, which is particularly relevant considering the very fact that what might be ethical in one scenario could be considered unethical in a different circumstance.
In considering the selected scenario using critical thinking and with the information given, the ethical considerations that should be used in this case is to retain the seasoned manager and allow him/her to continue in their previous profession since it was not his/her choice to become the plant manager. Unless, of course, if it was the corporate board’s unethical way of ousting the long tenured manager.