It also teaches a five-step process for responding to business problems/opportunities: Identify and analyze problems/opportunities, analyze the environment, explore potential responses, select the optimal response, and implement the optimal response. The course includes exercises and case studies, so participants can practice using the different thinking approaches to achieve maximum results. Participants will have the opportunity to apply core concepts to a specific problem or opportunity from their own business environment.

Course Objectives:

1. Leverage current theories on human thought to improve your performance and those of your team members

2. Discriminate between the different types of critical thinking styles and determine when to use each type in the business environment

3.Uncover business problems and opportunities and learn how to address them (analyze their root causes)

4. Assess the internal and external environmental factors surrounding business problems and opportunities

5. Explore a wide range of potential responses to a business problem or opportunity

6. Evaluate potential responses to a business problem or opportunity to determine the best response

7. Persuade stakeholders to support the best response, design an action plan for implementing the best response, and successfully execute the action plan

8. Use ESI’s Problem/Opportunity Response Process to address a problem or opportunity in your business environment

PDUs: 22.5

Course Introduction

• Welcome
• Course logistics
• ESI’s Mindset Model

Unit 1: The Science of Thought

• The brain
• Elements of information processing
• Information Processing Model

Unit 2: ESI’s Critical Thinking Model

• Critical Thinking Styles Instrument (CTSI) (a self-assessment)
• ESI’s Critical Thinking Model
• ESI’s Problem/Opportunity Response Process

Unit 3: Problem/Opportunity Identification and Analysis

• Types of critical thinking used
   • Analytical thinking
   • Strategic thinking
   • Tactical thinking
• Active vs. passive identification
• “AS-IS” vs. “TO-BE”
• Tools and techniques for problem/opportunity identification
• Root cause analysis

Unit 4: Environmental Scan

•  What is an environmental scan?
•  4C scan (internal)
•  4S scan (external)
•  Stakeholder scan

Unit 5: Response Exploration

•  Type of critical thinking used
•  Innovative thinking
•  Tools and techniques for exploring responses
•  SCAMPER*
    • S = Substitute
    • C = Combine
    • A = Adapt
    • M = Magnify & modify
    • P = Put to other uses
    • E = Eliminate
    • R = Rearrange and reverse
• Other innovative thinking approaches

Unit 6: Response Selection

• Types of critical thinking used
• Analytical thinking
• Implicative thinking
• Filtering
• Clustering and voting
• Capability and business value
• Response prioritization matrix
• Decision tree
• Implications analysis
• What 5
• Implications diagramming

Unit 7: Response Implementation

• Types of critical thinking used
• Strategic thinking
• Tactical thinking
• Communicating the optimal response
• Acceptance by stakeholders
• Managing expectations
• Saying “no” to high-profile stakeholders
• Building an action plan
• Ensuring ownership and commitment

Unit 8: Putting It to Work

• Individual presentations

*Source: Michalko, Michael. Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2001. Reproduced with permission of Ten Speed Press in the format copy via Copyright Clearance Center.